“I know it’s just that I have a feeling that I won’t see you again after tonight.” She said sniffing. (God woman use your sleeve or something.)
“Hey don’t worry I have a feeling that I will be ok and we are going to have loads of kids.” I said feeling like a shit for saying it.
“Really?”
“Yeah! The way I see it is all I have to do is take the Queen out and then get to the boat.”
“I hadn’t thought of it that way that actually makes me feel a lot better.”
“I told you it wouldn’t be that bad didn’t I? Anyway go and get your stuff sorted remember you’re on the first boat. I need to find Rees and start planning where stuff is going to go.” I said this time giving her a kiss on the lips. (Yeah, Yeah!)
I walked down to the courtyard with her then went off to find Rees. I had a rough idea where he would be and headed off to the armory. Walking through the dark castle kitchen I could see light coming out of the armory door and a lot of cursing. Rees was bent over looking through a duffle bag when he heard me cough.
“Mate your sound like a fucking shirt lifting sailor.” I said laughing.
“Don’t you dare call me a sailor.” He said laughing back.
“You getting stuff sorted for the boat?”
“Trying to figure out what they are going to need and what we are going to need.”
“Well we only need some extra cartridges for one of the shotguns, the 7.62 rounds for my SLR and this bag here.” I said nudging the duffle bag at my feet.
“I am going to need some rounds as well mate otherwise we are going to be up shits creek without a paddle.”
I looked at him and I think it finally dawned on him.
“Aw no fucking way it's never going to fucking happen. There’s no way on this god’s green earth I am going to let you do this by yourself.”
I slid down the wall so I was sitting down and said “Look they are going to need you when they get to the island; I am going to need you on that island. Their security is going to be your job and I need someone I trust to look after Maddie for me. Look you and I know that this fight is going to go either of two ways, first is I manage to pull off the most miraculous save ever and survive or second I manage to get killed by the Queen or one of her Reapers. Now I would like to lean toward the first one but I have a feeling it might end up being the latter. So pull up your big boy panties and look after this lot, anyway you never know.”
“I told Maddie that I wouldn’t leave you on your own against them.”
“Look if it will make you feel any better you can help me put these flash bangs where I want them but listen to me and I mean fucking listen. When that boat comes back your get those men and supplies on board and you fuck off to that island. I don’t want any of you thinking that you can come back and save the day.”
“But if you survive how are you going to get to the island?” He asked.
“Seriously!” was all I answered.
We sat there in the light from his torch joking and laughing about all the stupid stuff we had done in the army and the friends we missed. After a short while Chris stuck his head in the door and told us that the women and supplies had gone. Inside I felt relieved that Maddie had gone and we didn’t do the fond farewell crap the truth of it was that if we had done I would have wanted to leave with her. I got to my feet and pulled Rees up; I picked up the bag of flash bangs and started to set up for the fight ahead. We started by placing flash bangs near to my favorite perch as well as some extra full mags for my rifle. The front door to the castle and the kitchen door were rigged with string and a flash bang each. Same was done with the entrance to the dining room in the castle. My choke point was going to be the doorway to the library that was where we placed the all but one flash bang, rest of my rifle mags and the shotgun. The chapel was to be my last stand position and I had three mags for the Browning 9mm for in there.
By the time this was all in place and the men had finished moving the last of the supplies to the beach we had about two hours before sunrise. Jacob had just come in to view and I felt a little more pressure lift from my chest. It took us another hour to move the gear out to the boat and I stood as Jacob, Derek and Chris got into the boat. Rees pulled me into a large hug and we held each other for probably longer than a man hug should have been but who was going to say anything.
“I’ll watch the shore for you.” He said.
“If I get through this you’ll know.” I said.
With that he walked over and helped push the small dingy. I watched from the shore as it powered through the waves to the boat and I could just make out them climbing on board. Walking to the castle I noticed the sky starting to lighten but with the sun coming up it was also causing a mist to rise with it. This was going to make things that little bit harder.
Climbing the steps to the castle I couldn’t see much further than a hundred meters in any direction. That wasn’t going to be too much of a problem considering that I only needed to see where I was going to be throwing the flash bangs. Walking through the gate I turned and managed to put the bar in place. At least I knew that way was going to be secure for a little while. Making my way through the castle was quite funny with me looking like I was goose stepping every entrance. I managed to get on to the wall without setting off any of my surprises which was good.
Now all I had to do was waiting for them to turn up to the party. Maddie had made me a small flask of tea and some sandwiches before she left. Sitting with my legs dangling over the wall looking at the garden Becky had planted. I drank tea and ate strawberry jam sandwiches to the sound of the seagulls in the mist.
I had just finished my second mug when I heard the keening sound and thought ‘Here we go.’ Standing up I walked over to look out toward the mainland. The mist was making it hard to see anything out there but shadows and dark spots. I stood listening for the direction it might be coming from but it was too hard to tell. Just when I thought they might be coming at a different side I saw a movement in the mist and slowly shapes started move forward. I reached down and lifted up three flash bangs and placed them on the wall. Then I lifted my rifle and looked through the scope at the shapes watching for the first Reaper to show his or herself.
I noticed that they had bunched up slightly as they came through the mist. The first Reaper to emerge from the mist was on the large side and not the same as the one in Sainsbury’s so many weeks ago, but was the same size as Rees. I centered on his large chest and fired and followed the round in. Then quickly moved on to the next Reaper which was a female it hit her low down in her stomach and she folded over on to the grass.
Grabbing my first flash bang I threw it as far as I could after I pulled the pin. It managed to bounce twice before landing just in front of the rushing Reapers. The bang and flash it made didn’t sound too loud from up on the wall but all of the Reapers near it fell to the floor. I quickly fired four times and was rewarded with two more of them down and one with a bad wound. Throwing the other flash bangs over wall. I managed to get another six down and two injured with my shots. So at that moment I was doing well. Slamming another mag into my rifle I took aim at a large female at the front I blew a hole in to her forehead and she flipped over on to her back. Sliding my scope to the right I saw Mathleic and fired but I missed as he darted behind another male. I didn’t have time to look for him again the Reapers had managed to get within six or seven meters of the wall it wouldn’t be long before they started to climb. Pointing my rifle over the wall I fired blind as fast as my finger could pull and I was greeted with a few screams and gurgles. Stealing one quick look over the wall I saw them starting to climb over the injured and dead.
Time to retreat to the castle I thought. As I ran down the steps and over the courtyard I tried to figure how many I had taken out and all I could think of was not enough. As I reached the kitchen door I turned and trained my rifle on the wall watching for the first Reaper. Checking I had a full mag seated I waited for them. Two Reap
ers launched themselves over the wall and I fired and caught one in the throat the other was hit in the shoulder and was spun round to fall off the wall. The next to come over seemed to slither over and it took me four rounds to finally hit my target. They started to come over the wall more quickly and again it ended up being a case of fire and forget. Again I thought I may have injured more than killed but that was ok because I might be able to take care of them later.
Turning tail I moved through the kitchen and moved up the stairs through the hall and into the dining room. I skidded to a halt at the library door and went to one knee aiming at the dining room entrance. I was down to two and a half mags left for my rifle, the shotgun and one flash bang. I waited and heard a screech and banging coming from the stairwell to the kitchen. From where I was I could just make out the doorway to the stairs but it wouldn’t take them long to get me to move. My knee was hurting when the first Reaper came out of the doorway I waited a few seconds more before I started to fire. I wasn’t aiming for any of them I was just firing at the mass coming toward me. Smiling every time I saw a puff of black blood and scream I changed my mag twice during that. The first Reaper to get to the dining room entrance got the flash bang full in the face and went screaming down as a round took out the top of its head and sprayed the one coming up behind with its blood. Whilst she was staggering with the blood in her I eyes I fired my last rifle round which hit her in the right eye and blew her brains and blood all over the entrance hall.
A strange sense of calm came over me as she fell back into the remaining Reapers. I threw the last flash bang over my shoulder and dashed for the library door. Moving down to the door leading to the chapel I turned a table over and aimed over the top with the shotgun. I knew that I could only fire off maybe four shots before they reached me. My mind wandered back to the sense of calm that had come over me when I had killed the female Reaper. Could she have been the Queen of the Reapers? I had to admit that I didn’t know because I had never seen her face it could have been. If it was then I was well and truly fucked because they were going to go all out for me now. The door slammed open and the Reapers seemed to fight over each other to get at me. Firing both barrels at the door three Reapers went down and another two filled the gap I quickly replaced the shells stood and fired from the hip that took a Reaper in the stomach and nearly cut him in half. I turned to run into the chapel for my pistol when I felt a heavy weight land on my back. Landing on my front all the air seemed to be pushed from me then I felt something tearing at my back. Pushing up with my hips and to the side I managed to throw the Reaper off my back. Sliding back into the chapel on my back I tried to reach for the browning that was on the nearest pew. When I saw a shadow loom over the top of me risking a look up I saw Mathleic standing over me. My fingers brushed my browning when I screamed and looked at the blood streaming out of the gash on my arm.
I kicked out with my feet and managed to land a glancing blow to his legs which and a slight hiss from him. Risking a look behind him I saw he was by himself and I really was surprised at that I could see a couple of injured Reapers in the other room but Mathleic was the only one left fully standing. That must have meant I killed the Queen and that made me feel so much better.
Looking Mathleic in the eyes I said with gritted teeth “Come on then you gray fucker get it over with.”
His yellow eyes narrowed and a small smile flitted across his lips and he lifted his claw to deliver his final blow.
I closed my eyes to accept my end when I heard a crunch and then a gurgle opening my eyes I saw a glimmer of light at Mathleic’s throat. There was hiss as it was removed from behind and Mathleic fell to his knees before falling forward to show Marc in filthy torn clothes behind him. Wiping his sword on a scrap of his shirt he had dirt smeared all over his face and he smelt bad. I couldn’t help but smile my brother of all the people who might have………….
Epilogue
Jay’s head hit the floor with a dull slap and the fountain of blood that came from his neck sprayed on to the ceiling of the chapel before his corpse fell over to the side.
I cleaned my sword on his trouser leg and looked down at his body and said “Well I did say I would kill you!”
I hope you enjoyed reading my Reapers trilogy. I had a lot of fun writing it and I hope that the end threw the spanner in the works I was hoping for. Please look out for my new book Otto the Vampire which should be out either late 2014 or early 2015.
Justin Gowland
Paraplegic/Chronic Gamer
Reapers Mist: Third in the Reaper Trilogy by Justin Gowland Page 13
