Six Days With the Dead

by Stephen Charlick

  ‘Well, it’s too early to harvest the grain anyway, so we’ll just have to hope the heavy rain hasn’t damaged too much of it. Perhaps you’ll be so kind as to accompany me in the fields tomorrow and we can see what state it’s in,’ she replied.

  Sister Claire’s farming background had proven a benefit to those at Lanherne. She seemed to know just what needed to be done and when, instinctively.

  ‘You’ve got yourself a date there, Sister,’ Charlie said, smiling in between ladling spoonfuls of soup into his mouth.

  ‘Oh, in that case I’ll put on my best dress and get my hair done,’ she said, laughing as she and Sister Catherine began to clear away some of the empty bowls.

  With a cheeky wink, Charlie handed Sister Claire his bowl.

  ‘What a wicked man you are Charlie Philips, tempting an old woman like that. I don’t know how you stand for it Alice?’ she said, trying to look shocked.

  ‘I know. I don’t know what to do with him,’ Alice said, taking hold of Charlie’s chin she turned his face towards her and gave him a quick peck on the lips.

  ‘Sorry Sister, we’ve had a good run but I think we should see other people,’ Charlie said, going back to kiss Alice again.

  ‘Oh well, easy come easy go,’ Sister Claire laughed, as she followed Sister Catherine to the kitchen with the empty bowls.

  As she opened the door a heavenly smell wafted through the room. One by one, the adults paused in their conversations as the warm chocolate aroma reached them.

  ‘Mmm… I haven’t smelt something like that for so many years,’ Nicky said, closing her eyes and breathing in as much of the rich chocolate smell as she could, ‘I know Sister Rebecca is a whiz at making something out of nothing, but that smells like chocolate to me.’

  ‘That’s just what it is,’ Liz said, letting the smell envelope her. ‘We found some chocolate cake mix in a delivery van and I think Sister Rebecca has made them up to welcome us home.’

  While people reminisced about their favourite foods from a world that no longer existed, Charlie glanced over at the Reverend and his wife. They we’re having a conversation in whispered, hushed tones. Ruth had her hand on her husband’s arm and she seemed to be reassuring him of something, while she gently rocked the baby wrapped in the crochet blanket Emma had made for her own baby. The Reverend’s foot was tapping nervously, which abruptly stopped when his wife said something in particular. The Reverend’s face then seemed to relax suddenly, whatever his wife had said, had definitely calmed him down but something still danced about in the depth of his eyes. Something alien, Charlie couldn’t identify. Then the Reverend Moore slowly turned his gaze away from his wife and over to the table where Charlie sat. Charlie could tell it was not himself that caught the Reverend’s attention but one of the others sitting with him. He watched as the Reverend’s eyes roamed briefly from Liz, then Alice and finally Imran. When they rested on him, Charlie saw a slight narrowing of the Reverends eyes and would have said a flash of something very close to disgust momentarily surfaced. Finally, he moved onto Anne, and though it was plainly one of open curiosity, it still felt somehow wrong to Charlie. The Reverend was clearly studying Anne, not in a sexual predatory way but more the way someone looks at an unknown but beautiful insect. The Reverend was clearly working through something in his mind, but what, Charlie had no idea.

  ‘Ta Da!’ Sister Rebecca called to the room, as she walked in proudly carrying a tray of warm chocolate cake. Immediately people left their seats and crowded round her to marvel at this edible delight from a time gone by.‘And we’ve also got fruit sauce. So if someone will pop to the kitchen to get it for me, we can all have a welcome home treat.’

  ‘I’ll go,’ said Adrian, heading for the door.

  ‘I’ll be back in a moment,’ Charlie whispered to Alice and started to leave his seat

  ‘No Charlie, it’s been dealt with,’ Alice said, trying to stop him, but Charlie was already half way to the door.

  ‘Damn! Shall I go after him?’ she asked turning to Liz.

  Before Liz could offer an opinion, a very pale looking Adrian walked back through the door, the jar of Sister Rebecca’s fruit sauce in his hands. Charlie followed shortly on his heals, looking like butter wouldn’t melt in his mouth. Adrian went directly to the table where Sister Rebecca was cutting up the cake without so much as a glance in Alice’s direction.

  ‘What did you do?’ Alice said, pulling Charlie back to his seat, ‘I told you it was sorted.’

  ‘I didn’t hit him, don’t worry,’ he replied, trying to look innocent. ‘I just told him if he ever laid a hand on you or anyone else in here again, I’d cut that hand off and make him watch while I fed it to one of the Dead.’

  ‘Charlie!’ Alice said, slightly shocked.

  She knew this world was tough to live in and that justice was more often than not, swift and harsh. But at the end of the day Adrian wasn’t much more than a sex-starved loser. It was a little over the top to threaten to cut his hand off for trying to cop a feel of her breasts. In fact, if civilisation hadn’t fallen, she thought that Adrian’s life probably wouldn’t have been that much different anyway. He was the sort that would have naturally ended up alone, blaming everybody else for his loneliness.

  ‘What? I could’ve threatened to cut off another part of his anatomy you know,’ he said.

  ‘Charming,’ Alice said, playfully slapping Charlie’s shoulder.

  Each of the group collected their precious chocolate cake from Sister Rebecca and returned to savour their unexpected treat in silence. As Liz watched Justin and Anne’s faces light up as they tasted chocolate for the first time, she realised sometimes it could be the simplest things that could bring the most joy. It was strange that something as simple as a piece of cake could affect the people in the Refectory so intensely and in so many ways. For the adults, the cake brought back a wealth of memories, but also an immediate sense of loss for a life and a time they could never get back. While the children could feel nothing but a sense of wonder for a world where something as amazing as the cake before them was considered normal and mundane. A world of experiences had been lost to Anne and Justin when the Dead came and to be able to open a window back to that world, albeit a brief one, was a priceless gift Liz hoped they would experience again.

  ‘Don’t forget to save some for Phil and Mohammed,’ Alice said, as she took her cake from the tray and spooned on some of the dark fruity sauce. ‘Do you know who’s on watch next?’

  ‘That’ll be me and Cam,’ Michael said, spooning the last of his cake into his mouth. ‘We’ll go now and relieve them so they can eat.’

  Standing up, Cam took Michael’s empty plate and passed it to Sister Rebecca, along with his own.

  ‘Thanks Sister, you’re a star,’ Cam said giving her a quick peck on the cheek. Even after seven years of hardship, Cam’s looks may have faded, but he still had the charm that had made him a natural television journalist.

  ‘Oh Cam, you rascal,’ Sister Rebecca said as she blushed.

  Ten minutes later Phil arrived in the Refectory. Usually, those on evening watch would find the room empty, with only a few of the candles burning and everybody else already left for their beds. Tonight however, everybody was still there, talking in small groups about what had happened on Charlie’s journey to get Emma O’Brien. Sister Catherine walked up to him with a tray holding the meals that had been set aside for Mohammed and himself.

  ‘Where’s Mohammed?’ Sister Catherine said looking behind Phil curiously.

  ‘He got a bit mucky putting down one of the Dead, so he’s gone to wash and change before eating,’ Phil replied, tucking into the plate of scrambled eggs in front of him.

  ‘Oh, Ok,’ she said, taking back Mohammed’s plate. ‘I’ll pop this on the kitchen range to keep warm. When he comes in will you tell him it’s there for me, it’s time I was in the Chapel.’

  ‘Sure, no problem Sister,’ Phil replied, his broad smile showing the chives stuck in his teet
h.

  ‘God, no wonder you’re single,’ Liz said, smiling as she walked up to his table.

  Sister Catherine laughed, sharing the joke with Liz, both of them laughing even more at the bemused look on Phil’s face. Liz tapped her teeth to indicate he had something stuck there.

  ‘No, the reason I’m single is that you continually fail to bring any hot gay men back from your jaunts for me to rectify my situation,’ Phil said, after he had fished the offending chives from his teeth with his tongue.

  ‘What did you say!’ Reverend Moore was on his feet his fists shaking at his sides. Ruth tried to rise to stop her husband, but the Reverend was already striding purposefully over to Phil’s table. The Reverend looked down at the man sitting there, not bothering to disguise his disgust, ‘I said, what did you say!’

  ‘Hey, what’s your problem man? Don’t worry you’re not my type!’ Phil said, a little tired with still having to deal with this type of crap after all that the world had gone through.

  He turned back to his meal deciding to ignore the Reverend and his opinions.

  ‘Sodomite!’ the Reverend shouted, the rage making him visibly shake.

  Immediately all other conversations in the room died, all eyes turning on the Reverend. Charlie glanced at Alice, both of them instinctively rising. Phil was not the sort of man that put up with abuse from anyone and if the Reverend wasn’t careful he would end up getting a kicking.

  ‘Filthy Sodomite, how dare you defile the hallowed sanctity of these walls.’

  Then the Reverend took it one step too far and spat at Phil. Slowly Phil put down his fork, turned and began to leave his seat.

  ‘Hey!’ Liz said, standing in between Phil and the Reverend, her arm holding Phil back in his seat. ‘You need to go back to your wife Reverend… Now!’

  ‘Look Reverend, you don’t need to be insulting people,’ Barry said, also standing from his seat. ‘You don’t like someone, you keep it to yourself, OK? So, why don’t you sit back down.’

  But the calming words fell on deaf ears.

  ‘Mark my words pervert, you are an abomination unto the Lord. God will turn his gaze upon these walls soon enough, he will look into your wretched soul and will find you wanting. You shall be Damned for your perversion!’ the Reverend shouted pointing to Phil, in his other hand he gripped his crucifix tightly while religious righteousness burned in his darks eyes, ‘Damned!’

  Phil had had enough of this mad man and went to move Liz aside.

  ‘Reverend Moore!’ Sister Josephine shouted uncharacteristically from across the hall.

  The Reverend’s head snapped in her direction at the sound of her voice, his eyes narrowing at the audacity that the woman should dare to challenge him on such matters.

  ‘I warned you Reverend, I would not tolerate such behaviour in Lanherne. All are welcome here. All!’

  ‘You are not fit to carry your title, Mother Superior, you have allowed the very stones of God’s house to be soiled with perverts and ungodly heathens,’ the Reverend said, the last with a flick of his head to Imran.

  This one just keeps making more and more friends, Liz thought to herself.

  ‘Now that’s enough Reverend!’ Charlie shouted, his deep voice echoing around the hall. ‘It’s obvious Lanherne is not a place for you. I suggest that you leave us in the morning. If your wife wants to stay we will take her and the child but you are no longer welcome to stay.’

  It wasn’t often Charlie would speak for the group like this, without first discussing the matter thoroughly but he knew they would all be behind him on this. The Reverend’s eyes blazed with hatred and was about to say something more when his wife spoke his name calmly.

  ‘Nathan.’

  The Reverend turned at her voice and something unspoken passed between them.

  ‘We will both leave in the morning,’ Ruth said pointedly, and walked silently to the door, the baby in her arms.

  The Reverend followed closely behind, clenching and unclenching his fists angrily. He would have to console himself with the knowledge that all of these people were nothing but the walking Damned waiting for God’s judgement, a judgement that would be swift and absolute. With a wave of the Lord’s divine hand, their flesh would soon be as putrid and blackened, as their worthless souls.

  ‘You know the nicest people,’ Phil said to Liz with a smile, breaking the tension that still hovered in the room.

  Conversations began again around the Refectory as groups gave their opinions on what had happened. There wasn’t much in the way of entertainment or gossip for those at Lanherne so whenever they were given something they could get their teeth into, they did so with relish. Eventually, once everyone had given their opinion, rehashed the scene, and then chatted in detail about what Charlie had told them, people began to say their goodnights and leave for bed. Slowly like a dripping bucket, the Refectory began to empty, until only Charlie, Imran, Liz and Alice remained. Sister Josephine was also there, collecting the last stubs of the tallow candles for the Sisters to use as they prayed in the chapel.

  ‘We had to give them the chance to fit in,’ Charlie said watching Sister Josephine plunge one table after the next into darkness, as she removed the candles. ‘Some people are too wrapped up in their own agendas to keep their mouths shut. Sorry if I spoke out of turn Sister but I could see the way the wind was blowing with the Reverend. He’d have never been able to keep his religion to himself without hating those who couldn’t fit into his way of seeing the world.’

  ‘Well, as you know, I prefer to normally take a vote but unfortunately you were right, we all have to live here in harmony and there’s clearly nothing but hate and anger disguised as faith in that man’s heart,’ she replied, looking a little sad, she sighed, ‘but they’ve made their choice, so that’s that.’

  ‘Don’t worry, I’ll point them in the direction of the O’Brien home, perhaps they can make a life for themselves there. Seems a waste of a home otherwise,’ Charlie said, realising Sister Josephine was thinking of the innocent baby being taken from the safety of the convent.

  ‘Well, may God protect them,’ Sister Josephine said quietly to herself, as she left the Refectory.

  ****

  Sister Josephine walked down the dark stone corridor, the flickering light of the candles she held chasing away the darkness momentarily, so that as she walked she was held within a ball of orange light. As she neared the large carved doors that led to the chapel, she saw the Reverend standing there waiting for her in the darkness. He stood, head down, motionless as if waiting to be brought to life by some unseen puppet master. As she approached he slowly tilted his head to look at her. There was not much that Sister Josephine feared in this world anymore, after all, she had seen the Dead drag down and feast upon the living before her very eyes, but as she neared the Reverend her breath quickened and her heart beat loudly in her ears. It was something in the way the candle light reflected off his eyes. The orange flames, dancing briskly with a warm jollity, only appeared cold in those unfriendly eyes that some-how held an unspoken warning.

  ‘Reverend?’ she said, trying to fight the shakiness in her voice, ‘I thought you were going to your room?’

  ‘I came to apologise for earlier, Mother Superior,’ he replied, keeping his eyes on her while he bowed his head slightly ‘I fear I spoke out of turn. How you run your house is your business and although we will leave tomorrow, I wanted you to know I bare you no hard feelings.’

  ‘Well, thank you… ’ Sister Josephine said, slightly taken aback by the vast change in the Reverends character. In the short time she had known the Reverend she had found him a very proud and self-righteous man but now she would say he was humbling himself before her.

  ‘And I was wondering if I may pray in your chapel a while?’ he continued, beginning to push open the chapel door, ‘I fear I will need the Lord’s strength for what is to come.’

  ‘Yes, yes of course,’ Sister Josephine said, gesturing with her hand for him to enter.


  With a low creak, the door slowly swung open. Much like the rest of Lanherne, the chapel was mainly built from a cool grey stone. After many years of disrepair the chapel was certainly looking a little worse for wear and although she felt foolish, it sadden her to see it this way. In places the dusty layer of white paint was flaking, showing the stone beneath, and Sister Josephine knew that more than one of the high wooden beams that supported the arched ceiling, would soon lose their battle against the damp rot. Being quite a small chapel, there were only seven double rows of old wooden pews, before the stone floor rose step by step to the communion rail. The altar itself was a huge carved stone gothic masterpiece inlaid with intricately carved biblical scenes. It also stood before a wall of carved niches, each depicting various saints lifting their eyes heavenward in divine piety. As Sister Josephine walked down the central aisle to the communion rail, the Reverend followed silently a few paces behind. With the only light coming from the few candles the four other sisters had placed upon the alter around the base of the wooden crucifix and those Sister Josephine carried with her, the main body of the chapel sat shrouded in darkness. Placing the collection of candles she had retrieved from the Refectory at the base of the Cross, Sister Josephine knelt at the communion rail to pray. As she did so, the Reverend dropped to his knees behind her and then throwing his arms wide, fell to the floor to lie prostrate before his God. As the Sisters prayed silently to Jesus and his Holy mother, Sister Josephine could not help but catch the Reverends whispered pleads for strength to do His will. After twenty minutes she realised the Reverend was crying and repeating a single phrase over and over again

  ‘My hand is your hand, by your hand your children will be saved, thy will be done.’

  Eventually, as the candles went out one by one, the time came that even the Sisters had to retire to their beds.

  ‘Reverend?’ Sister Josephine said quietly, reaching down to touch his shoulder ‘Reverend Moore… we will be going to bed now.’