The Fifth: Darkness series

by K. D Rawlingson

  “When I see grandma mum I’m going to do that and see what she says. Are they at home?”

  “No darling they are staying in a hotel they will be home soon though, look we're here.”

  Susanne and Eric's place was an old farmhouse. They had no use of the farm part but had kept a few animals on - like the chickens and horses but most of it had been remodelled. God knows how much they had paid for the house plus all the work done to it.

  The house itself was beautiful. I would have said it was probably about two hundred years old if not more, covered with light mismatched stone bricks and grey slate roof tiles They had kept most of the outside the same, had tidied up the bricks and mortar, installed new windows that kind of thing but pretty much left it in its original state, Susanne had made the inside, however, look far too modern for my taste though all golds and creams a bit over the top. The bathrooms had granite tiles and big brass taps lavished in the same gold and creams décor that Susanne had favoured. The windows were heavily draped and when I had stayed there I always wondered if you could close them but had been too scared to try and as they were always open I have yet to receive my answer. Don't get me wrong Ryan's parents' house was beautiful. It just looked like Susanne had gotten most of her inspiration from an extravagant Dubai penthouse hotel rather than a quaint little English country house.

  The kitchen though was completely different, it was stunning, whoever had designed that part of the house had hit the nail on the head. She had mixed the right amount of old meets new; such as the big Belfast sink with chrome taps that mixed in with lovely with the cottage style cabinets. Everything was wood, white or chrome. She had a top of the range cooker set into an island in the middle of the kitchen and a big oak table at the far end. Massive bifold doors that made our ones at home look like puny windows in comparison. With a view looking out onto her garden, the fields and woods behind that. In the little Conner on the far side of the room, Susanne had put in a little sofa with a lamp next to it, a bookshelf and telly on the wall. It was my haven when staying there, if anyone had needed to find me I was pretty much always there, with a coffee and a book in my hand or snuggling up with Thomas watching a bit of TV. The kitchen was bigger than the whole of the bottom of my house.

  The house sat on about 10 acres of land around the back of the house had a few fields and woodland to the back of that. The rest of the perimeter of the house was either walled or fenced off so, it was no one in, no one out, without it being known about. There was a separate building that used to house the animals in its day but Susanne had had it all renovated into a top stable for her horses

  They had brought the house about 9 months after us moving to our house. I didn't mind really as I thought it would be nice for Thomas, they had kept their house in London but sold the one they had in Ashbane.

  Due to Eric’s work commitments they alternated between the two. Eric's father, Ryan’s Grandfather was into real estate and that's where his money had come from. He passed away when he was still quite young. He'd only had one son, that being Eric and left everything to him. Eric had followed suit in his father line of work and now they owned an estate agency that was one of the biggest in the country. McNeil’s

  I arrived at the front gate and pressed the buzzer. With no answer, I pressed again. Susanne and Eric switched between the two houses so often that Susanne had a maid, she lived in the granny annexes to the side of the house. It had two entrances one; from the side of the house, the other from upstairs. I had never gone in there, never needed to. I was sure someone had to be there. I pressed again but got nothing. I got out the car and typed in the key code I had used when I had stayed here when Susanne had broken her leg hoping she had kept the code the same but nothing? I banged on the box.

  “Fucking open, dam thing.”

  “Mummy I need the toilet.” I heard Thomas say from inside the car

  “Can you hold it for a second?”

  “No, I'm going to wee myself.”

  “Alright jump out and go over there by the bush but stay in sight, do not go off do you hear me and take Bert with you he will need to go a wee too?”

  “Yes mum”

  I watched Thomas and Bert walk over to the bush when they got there and went to do their business I turned back to the little silver box denying my entry and tried all the codes I could think of, nothing, no birthday I could think of worked, no special dates I knew of. I knew it had to be a four-digit code because that's what mine had been.

  Mine was 3721 three sevens are twenty-one so, maybe it was another math’s code…. 3515…. No, 4728… No. I punched in a load more like that hoping that that would be the one. Nothing. Finally, I thought I would try the classic 1234

  I was about to give up and find a way to climb over when the sudden but familiar buzzing noise startled me.

  “Fuck me it worked.” Feeling the first bit of joy in what felt like forever. I started to do a little happy dance. All of a sudden, I heard an ear shattering scream and Bert bark

  “THOMAS”

  I ran as fast as I could to the bush I'd seen him going behind. I cursed myself, why hadn't I just gone with him if anything had happened to him I would never forgive myself. I reach the bush and he wasn’t there.

  “THOMAS! THOMAS! WHERE ARE YOU?”

  “Mummy”

  I followed his voice along the wall surrounding Susanne and Eric's house and found him kneeling next to somebody on the ground. I grabbed Thomas and hugged him so tight

  “Don't ever do that to me again ok you scared me half to death.”

  Knowing that Thomas was safe I turned my attention to the man lying on the ground, I bent down beside him he looked so pale, his eyes looked sunken in and he was hardly breathing, he was familiar somehow, I was so crap with faces. I was trying to remember where I had seen him before, he looked to be very unwell, I couldn't leave him here. I tried to wake him but he just murmured again. I touched his head and as suspected, he was burning up.

  “Thomas stay here do not move I'm going to the car.” I raced back to the car to see what I had to help. I found an old blanket in the boot with the first aid kit that had nothing but plasters and bandages in and a bottle of water on the back seat. I raced back to the man and as I knelt down next to him it hit me who it was.

  “Jason is that you?”

  His reply was nothing more than a mumble. Jason was the gardener that work for Susanne and Eric he was hired to come once a week to tend to all Susanne’s gardening needs I had spoken to him a few times when I’d stayed here but hadn't seen much of him since then as we would generally come over in the evenings when Ryan had gotten home from work. Jason must have been in his late sixties but he was a fairly fit man for his age his hair had greyed but he'd still had an air of youth to him he was a big man he must have been about 6 feet but as I was only 5.5 anyone over 5.8 -5.9 looked big to me.

  I remember him telling me he had lost his wife Mary a few years before, they had never had any children so it was only the two of them when he had lost Mary, he'd said he was very lonely but then Eric had given him this job. Jason had loved gardening so it was perfect for him and helped keep him busy.

  He was only meant to come once a week but I’d often seen him two or three times in the same week nestled in-between the plants doing something or other to them.

  Looking at him now Jason looked to be about a hundred, how long had he been out here like this. I couldn't just leave him but I wasn't sure if I was going to be strong enough to carry him to the car. I laid the blanket over him and tore off a piece at the edge and poured a little water over it to dab on his forehead. It wasn't as cold as I would have liked it to be but it was all I had. Jason's lips looked like they hadn't seen water in days they were dry and so pale I placed the damp cloth onto them and he murmured again his eyes shot open and he stared straight at me.

  Thomas was sitting right beside me and when Jason reached his arm out it caught Thomas in the face. It wasn’t hard enough that it hurt him b
ut I still asked Thomas to move out the way slightly and give Jason some room.

  “Jason can you hear me its Sadie, Eric and Susanne's daughter in law.”

  His eyes fluttered open again but this time he looked straight past me like I wasn't even there.

  "Jason, can you hear me? can you stand?" I'm not sure why I asked, it was clear he couldn't even sit up let alone stand but I was getting nervous, after everything that had happened this morning and what I'd seen on the drive here I didn't feel safe I wanted to be behind those gates with them closed and locked up tight and I had to somehow get him to the car so I could do just that, but how? I scanned the surroundings to see if there was something to help me but there wasn't anything. I had only me and Thomas, a first aid kit, a blanket and a bottle of water. Thomas's bag was in the car along with Bert the bear I'd only packed some clothes in it and a pair of earrings nothing that would help here. Deciding I had been out here long enough and needed to get him inside sharpish I had only one choice I took the blanket off Jason and laid it on the ground.

  “Thomas I’m going to try and lift Jason onto the blanket I need you to help me keep the blanket under him so we can pull him to the car.”

  Grabbing Jason's arms, I pulled him up until he was in a sort of sitting position then crouching behind him I got my arms under his arms and half lifted, half pulled him onto the blanket.

  “Thomas can you pull the other side out near his feet please darling and pass it to me.” Thomas did as I’d asked and I tied the blanket at the ends around his feet I was going to try and pull the blanket like it a sleigh and I didn't want to pull the blanket from underneath him.

  “Thomas help me with Jason please darling I am going to pull him and I want you to keep an eye on him make sure he doesn't fall out can you do that for me?”

  “Is he sick mummy? Has he got a bug?”

  “Yes, darling I think he does, I think we should get him to the car and then to the house, he can rest up while we call a doctor from Grandmas phone.”

  I was thinking as I pulled him back to car he wasn't nearly as heavy as I’d imagined. I was hoping that there was still a doctors/ambulance service to call. There had to be right? Surely things hadn't gotten that bad? I got back to car quicker than I had expected and hauled him into the passenger's seat. With the entrance now open, I got Thomas and Bert in the car and drove up to the house.

  It wasn't a long drive only a minute or two up a gravel driveway lined with lavender bushes that were beginning to bloom I was distracted from the beauty of the grounds to the burning question of how I was going to get in the house? If nobody had answered the gate I was assuming that nobody was staying in the house. It didn't matter as one way or another I was getting in, even if I had to smash a window and climb through. I just prayed that the alarm codes hadn't been changed like the front gate had. As I rounded the corner I didn't have to worry about how I was going to get in as the front door was open.

  What I now had to worry about was how? Was somebody else in the house?

  Before I would let Thomas enter, I would have to check. I got out the car making sure I still had the knife and gun behind my back and the one in my boot? I did. Feeling a bit better knowing that I had them still on me I told Thomas to stay there with Jason while I checked the house.

  “I will only be a moment Thomas I just want check that the coast is clear and there are no bad guys here ok, I won't be long but I need you to stay here with him. Come on jump into the driver seat.” Thomas done as I asked without question.

  “Good boy, now I want you to keep an eye on Jason ok, if he wakes up or starts making noises or anything like that, all I want you to do is beep the horn as loud as you can. I'm going to take Bert with me because he can check out the rooms with his super nose, you take Bert the bear and stay here do not get out the car ok."

  I called Bert and set off into the house. I tiptoed through the big front door that way almost wide open and into the reception room as it was too big to be called a hallway, it was strange everything was so quiet every time I had been here it always felt busy now it was silent, still, like I had stumbled across a frozen picture. Everything looked spotless there was not a single spot of dust I could see so, someone had to have been here over the last few days, where were they now? I let go of Bert and told him to see if he could spot anyone here. I doubt he'd understood but I also knew he would likely bark if there was, there was also the probability that he would also lick them to death before growling and scaring them away, I just hoped that wasn't the case.

  I poked my head into the front room, dining room and kitchen, everything seemed to be in it place it didn't look like anyone was here, running upstairs, I called for Bert as I checked the four guest bedrooms and Susanne and Eric's master.

  The door to the maids living in part of the house was locked. I double checked all the rooms to make sure as I was heading downstairs. No one was here.

  I needed to get back to Thomas and Jason but thought it would be better if I called an ambulance first, they would tell me if it was best to move him or keep him where he was.

  I dialled 999 and waited to be put through…

  Due to high call volumes, our operators are unable to take your call at present if you are calling regarding the N17 virus. Symptoms include high fever, pale skin, erratic heartbeat and pulse, red bloodshot eyes, bleeding from the nose then as the virus progresses from the eyes, mouth, and ears if either yourself or someone you know have come into contact or are showing any of the symptoms you may have contracted N17.

  DO NOT leave your house.

  DO NOT go to an emergency room, hospital or doctors.

  DO NOT have any skin to skin contact. Isolate yourself or the infect party in a separate room, apply gloves and cover all exposed areas of skin. Drink plenty of fluids.

  If you are calling to report a death from N17 ........

  “WHAT THE HELL!!”

  I dropped the phone and went running for Thomas.

  "THOMAS! THOMAS! GET OUT THE CAR" I screamed at the top of my lungs. What the fuck was N17 and is that what Jason had? What did they mean don't touch? Is that how it was spread. OH, MY GOD. What if Jason did have it and had given it to me and Thomas. I reached the car and went to grab Thomas. I was inches away from touching him when I stopped. I had touched Jason but I wasn't sure if Thomas had in my panicked state.

  “Get out the car darling but please don't touch Jason.” He got out the car and I hurried him inside.

  “Mum what about Jason we can't leave him here.”

  “Don't worry darling I will get Jason but I need you to tell me have you touched him?” Thomas looked at me like I was mad “Thomas this is very important have you touched Jason anywhere on his skin, on his head, anywhere?

  He touched my face remember when he woke up but only for a second. It didn’t hurt.”

  "SHIT! SHIT! FUCKING SHIT!" I started pacing he was right I had forgotten it had happened so quickly. "Stay here do not move," I told Thomas as I raced into the kitchen, I looked under the sink pulling all the bottles out from inside until I found the one I was looking for. I found a flannel and nail brush from the downstairs bathroom and drenched the cloth in water and sprinted back to Thomas as fast as I could, after rubbing his face with the watery cloth I applied some bleach and wiped Thomas's face with that. I knew I had to be careful it was his face after all but I just wanted to make sure he was ok. I had used neat bleach hundreds of times with my bare hand and was fine I would make him wash it off as soon as I had applied it but what else could I use to sterilise his face.

  “Darling I think Jason might have a really nasty bug one that I don't want you to catch can you do me a favour and go get in Grandmas shower right now. I need you take off all your clothes and put them in a bin ok baby can you do that? And I need you to have a really good wash, to do behind your ears and scrub your hands and face ok.”

  “Mummy I’m nearly 8 I think I can wash myself.”

  "Ok then off you go while I se
e that Jason is ok." I watched him run up the stairs and shouted to "mind the water, to make sure that it wasn't too hot." Once I heard the water run I made my way back outside to take a quick look at Jason, he looked pale and I knew he had a temperature but couldn't see his eyes as they were closed. He didn't look to be bleeding from anywhere which had to be a good sign. Even so, I left him there while I returned to the downstairs bathroom and poured the neat bleach all over my hands. I used the nail brush, scrubbing until my hand were almost bleeding.

  I had no idea what I was going to do with Jason but my first priority had to be Thomas. I couldn't get sick I needed to look after him and there was no way in hell I was letting Thomas get some N17 disease.

  Shit, was this the missing piece to the puzzle? Is this what had caused all the damage I’d seen? If it was, how bad was it out there?

  I had started hearing of things about lots of mysterious deaths while I’d still had sky on the news. Is this what was causing it? More fucking questions, I was getting pissed off with FUCKING QUESTIONS! I needed some damn answers but having none I could get now I concentrated on the many problems I had instead. I needed to get out these clothes and wash, hopefully, Jason didn't have whatever this N17 was and Thomas and I would be fine but better to be safe than sorry. I grabbed a tea towel next to the sink and poured more bleach all over it cleaning everything I had touched. I went to the guest bathroom upstairs and turned on the shower, stripped out my clothes and threw them in the bin. I had to throw the two knives away as I couldn't remember if I'd touched them. I had gotten rather attached to having them on me and vowed to replace them as soon as I was clean and dressed.

  As soon as the shower was steaming I got in and scrubbed as quick as I could I needed to hurry as I had to sort out clothes for Thomas and deal/help Jason. I knew I had a little bit of time as Thomas would likely be messing around with all the knobs and buttons in his shower but he would be out soon enough, I didn't want to touch anything until I had washed. I scrubbed until I was red and sore then got out found a pair of Jeans in the draw and a vest top. I had to give it to Susanne she could be a complete pain in the arse most of the time but the woman sure knew how to stock her guest rooms the one I had gone to had been the one me and Ryan would stay in when we would sleep over, not often but every now and then we would, usually after one of Susanne's dinner parties, after Eric had supplied to much whiskey to myself and Ryan and sleeping over had been an easier and wiser decision then getting a cab home and then coming back the next day to pick up the car, on one such occasions not long after the broken leg incident, I had woken the next day to find the bedroom had been supplied with a wardrobe and chest of draws filled with jeans and tops, knickers, bras, socks even a pair of boots and this had just been my side, Ryan's had his own set of draws and wardrobe kitted out for himself. When I had gone to collect Thomas from the room next door he had been giving the same treatment, I hadn't known what to say and had told her that I couldn't accept what she had done that it was too much. Susanne had told me to stop being stupid that if I was going to insist on wearing jeans and bloody boots all the time it would be in Prada or Gucci. I stood there mouth open gobsmacked which didn't happen very often. I'm sure Susanne had wanted Ryan to marry a woman who was into fashion as much as she was, somebody she could take to high tea or to the polo, somebody who would sit in a pretty little dress with her hands on her knees nodding and agreeing with everything she said. I was no such person I hated tea I was a coffee girl all the way, I liked my coffee black and sweet, I didn't mind horses but watching men sit on them trying to hit a ball with a stick err no thanks. I think I would rather have my eyes stabbed with pins, and as for wearing pretty dresses, I can honestly say I think I can count on one hand the number of times I have worn a dress. No, I was a jeans and top girl. Add a nice pair of boots and I'm set, ready, I'd worn dresses every now and then, when me and Ryan had gotten married I had a dress on and a few times when we had gone out on date nights I dressed the part but if I went out I'd rather put on a nice pair of skinny jeans, nice top and maybe some heels. I was short so every now and then a girl needed some heels. Susanne hated my jeans. So, the fact she had gone and brought me a fair few pairs that had cost her a pretty penny had been really quite nice and deep down I think she was beginning to like me, maybe see that there was nothing wrong with Ryan having a woman like me in his life.