There were dozens of creatures. They were everywhere.
Fear hit Heather like a sledgehammer to her chest. She froze on the spot, her eyes fixed on the points of light in the darkness as they flickered back at her. She felt something brush against her back and she stepped forward, the realisation that a creature was now behind her forcing her to move despite her fear.
Alone in the dark and surrounded, she began to search desperately for an escape route. The steep slopes of the dunes looked to her to be inaccessible to the clumsy, uncoordinated creatures, but they were loose and awkward, and one slip and she'd be amongst the creatures and at their mercy.
She looked cautiously at the creatures. They were all gathering round her, shuffling slowly through the sand. Many were clearly aroused, and Heather had no doubts as to what they'd do to her if they caught her.
Slowly backing onto the steep side of a dune, she began to inch up it, her small steps taking her gradually up the side of the dune. The creatures tried to follow her, but the soft sand collapsed under their weight, sending them rolling down to the bottom, confused and disorientated.
Traversing the overhang of the dune, she found herself even further cut off from the main fire, but she was above the creatures, and there were no more behind her, just ahead of her, between her and the fire, forming a ring around the camp.
She watched as some of the creatures tried to move in sight of the fire, but fear forced them back as soon as they saw it. Others seemed to just mull around, and Heather wondered if these were waiting their turn, and if they still had their pack instinct. Then she saw female creatures around the edges. Some were clearly attached to a specific male, but others were alone, and looked almost scared.
One of these lone women seemed to get her attention as it passed the dunes beneath her. The creature looked young, maybe in her early twenties, and looked healthier than the rest, as if she'd only recently been infected. Heather could see a wound on the creature's arm, obviously from the bite that had infected her. She looked sadder than most other creatures, and her walk made her look as if she was in considerable pain.
It didn't take long for a male to find her. It knocked her to the ground and threw itself on top of her, forcing her legs apart. Heather couldn't bear to watch anything else, but she could hear the grunts from the male, and the screams from the female.
It was all over almost in seconds, and the male slowly shuffled off, leaving the female lying in the sand, alone. Heather looked down at her and a new wave of fear briefly swept over her as she realised what she'd become and what would happen to her if she was infected.
But she was safe for now. Above them, she was out of their view, and her torch would be more than enough to see off any creature that got close enough. Above them was the only way through the ring, back into the camp.
Heather began to circumnavigate the ring of creatures, heading for a cluster of steep dunes that the creatures wouldn't be able to climb without being as nimble on their feet as Heather would be. It didn't take her long to make the journey, dodging only the occasional unwelcome advance, and she soon stood above the fire again, safe within sight of the flames.
Beneath her, underneath the next dune, lay Chris and Annie. Annie was kneeling on the ground, staring blankly at Chris, who lay on his side, sleeping. Heather watched with sadness as Annie ran her hand across Chris's side. Annie's touch contained no tenderness or passion, just the innocence of a small child, stroking something she didn't really understand.
Her touch was clumsy, even rough. It didn't take long for Chris to wake up, and as he did, Annie's eyes seemed to very sightly light up. She even seemed to have a hint of a smile.
To Heather's astonishment Annie suddenly reached down and took Chris's penis in her hand. Chris, as surprised as Heather, suddenly sat up, but Annie just turned her back to him and nuzzled against him, forcing him back onto the ground.
She's initiating sex, thought Heather as she watched the two of them slowly begin making love. She watched as Chris entered Annie, as he began to slowly thrust against her. She watched as Annie forced herself back against Chris, time and time again.
It broke Heather's heart to watch it. She knew Annie would never be complete again, that this was just some flicker at the back of her mind, some last lingering love for Chris showing itself. But part of her thought it was beautiful to watch, that even with her mind destroyed, the love her friends shared still somehow survived, that they still existed as the loving couple Heather had known for so long.
It was all over in a matter of minutes. Chris, in a combination of guilt and love, wrapped his arms tightly around Annie, as if he was scared of losing her. Annie just smiled a big, open smile of mindless happiness and melted into his arms.
From her viewpoint overlooking the whole fireside, Heather could also see John. He was curled up, all alone and asleep. Suddenly she found herself thinking what it would be like if she were Annie and John was Chris, and how she would feel. A shiver went through her body, and she knew. The thoughts that had gone through her head, the feelings she had when she heard John's voice, she now knew what all of them meant.
Carefully and silently she descended the dune, making her way to where John was sleeping. Kneeling beside him, as Annie had done with Chris, she began running her fingers across his shoulder and down his side. In his sleep John smiled, rolling over onto his back with a contented sigh.
Every contact with his skin felt like electricity to Heather. As she draped her hand across his chest, she trembled with anticipation, her whole body feeling ready to burst.
John's eyes flickered open. He looked up at Heather and their eyes met.
“Just hold me” she said, “nothing else”
John did as she told him, wrapping his arms around her and hugging her tightly to him. As they lay in each other's arms Heather turned to face John. His face was a mass of emotion, the roller-coaster of the past few days etched on his face.
Heather's mind thought back over the past few days. He'd been a perfect gentleman. He'd faced his hang-ups and fears. He'd embraced her lifestyle without hesitation. He'd followed her to into danger, risking death for her. He'd never given up, never backed down, never surrendered. She knew now exactly how she felt about him.
“We need to talk about Annie” said Heather.
“What about her?” replied John.
“She needs our help” said Heather, “we need to find a safe place for her.”
“Can we keep her at your cottage?”
“Possibly,” she replied, “I can keep her safe for a while. But there's something else to consider.”
“What's that?” asked John.
“What if someone else gets infected? The three of us can look after Annie, but can you and I handle those two?”
“Can we isolate them somewhere? Maybe an island? You know the area.”
“It's possible” said Heather, her mind thinking of possibilities. “But what happens if I get bitten. Or you?”
“I'll get you home” said John. “Whatever happens, I'll look after you.”
Heather smiled as she felt his arms wrap just that little bit tighter around him.
“I need you” said Heather. “I can't do this without you.”
“No matter what it takes, we'll look after her, okay?”
Heather nodded, knowing she could trust him.
“You know the land” continued John, “if anyone can help her, and get her somewhere safe, its you.”
Heather sat up, kneeling so she was facing John. Her mind was now focussing and she was thinking hard on how to get through tomorrow.
“Tomorrow's going to be tough” she said to John as he sat up. “We have to cover a lot of distance with Annie, and she doesn't move very fast.”
“We need some way to get some distance between us and the creatures” said John.
“We'll head for high ground. Annie's always been a natural when it comes to climbing, so we'll try to cover the roughest terrain we can.
If they can't follow us, maybe we'll shake them loose from our tail.”
“How about the crags we went up when it was just the two of us?” asked John. “We can reach them if we go straight across the hills above us.”
“That's a long day, do you think Annie could cope?” Heather said, having reservations about the idea.
“Is there a quicker way to get to them, round the side maybe?”
“Yes, but it goes by a loch and the ground is boggy as hell, it could be just as tough.”
“If they catch us, we'd have to fight” replied John.
“Do you think we can survive another fight? We've been lucky so far”
“I don't think so” said John, “Annie's attracting more and more of them, I don't know how we can survive if they turn on us.”
“So what can we do?” she replied, “C'mon Heather, think.”
“What are our strengths?” John asked.
“I know the land, better than anyone.”
“That's good, what else?”
“We're friends. We'll stick together and work as a team. They won't, they're mindless, driven by instinct.”
“Not bad” said John. “We have weaknesses though. We seem to tire more quickly and we're low on food. We're also outnumbered.”
“Their numbers may be their strength” replied Heather, “but I know the land. I can use their numbers against them in the bog.”
“How?”
“When we get to the loch, they won't follow the best ground, they'll just follow us blindly. Their numbers mean they'll spread out and get stuck. It'll slow them down. I know where the easiest terrain is, we can easily outpace them.”
“So that's our plan?”
“Yes, lure them into the peat bog. You remember how wet the ground is, how deep your feet can get stuck into it?”
John smiled and nodded at the memory of Heather showing him the peat bog. It seemed so long ago now, so distant.
“Then as long as they're behind us, we can lose them tomorrow.”
Chapter 25
“Okay, this isn't so good” said John as he looked out to sea.
It was almost morning, and the breaking dawn heralded a sudden change in the weather. Storm clouds were rolling in from the sea and the air was cold. Heather was used to these conditions, but without clothes John and Chris knew that they would struggle and move slower.
“If it rains, it just makes the ground tougher for them” said Heather.
“And for us” replied Chris.
“No,” replied Heather, “I'll show you the easier routes. We'll cope.”
“We should move soon” said John, gesturing towards the dying fire. “Those things are getting closer and closer, and the sun will be up soon.”
Heather and Chris nodded in agreement and immediately began to gather their supplies. Annie continued to hover around Chris, constantly trying to hold onto him like a desperate child.
“Have we got everything?” said Heather.
“I'm ready” said John.
“Me too” said Chris.
“Then let's go” replied Heather as she picked up a long burning piece of wood from the fire.
“John, grab one of these” she continued, gesturing at the burning wood in her hand, “and bring up the rear. I'll go first and clear the way while Chris brings Annie close behind me.”
It was easy for Heather to clear the creatures out of the way with the fire she carried, but they quickly closed in behind her and John had to move swifty to see them off as they lunged at Annie, who continued to whimper and huddle towards Chris.
“Let's move a bit quicker!” shouted John, the tension clear from his voice.
“Oh, shit” said Heather as she turned round to see what was happening.
Behind her, the creatures were barely holding back once the fire had passed them. John was having to wave them off one by one as they lunged at Annie, who was by now more terrified than ever of their advances. They were getting so close John almost had to hit them with the burning wood to see them off, something Heather was worried could make them turn violent.
“Don't hit them” she shouted at John, “you'll piss them off. We don't want them turning nasty.”
“Move faster!” John just shouted back at everyone.
“Almost there!” Heather shouted back as the last of the creatures parted at the sight of the flames. As John passed the last of them he threw down the burning wood at the feet of the nearest creature, causing it to recoil in fear before it, and the rest of them began to slowly follow the group.
A blast of cold air suddenly hit the group as the wind picked up. John and Chris both winced with the pain as their whole bodies were hit by the numbing pain of the cold.
“Damn, that's cold” said John, shivering as he continued to walk.
“Keep moving, its the only way you'll keep warm” was Heather's response as she dropped back to walk beside John. “C'mon, we'll be round the side of the mountain soon” she continued, as she took his hand, “it'll be more sheltered.”
John smiled as he felt the warmth of Heather's hand against his. He still couldn't believe she didn't feel cold in these conditions, especially without shoes on the wet sand.
The hard, wet sand was easy to walk on and they quickly started to put some distance between the creatures and themselves. But the tide was coming in quickly, forcing them onto the dry, soft sand, and their progress began to slow as their legs tired. Their lack of food was beginning to drain their strength, and as they moved off the beach to go inland their pace slowed considerably.
“My legs feel like lead” said Chris as his feet sank into the soft sand dunes with each step.
“Keep going” said Heather, noticing the creatures starting to close the gap between them, “we can't stop.”
As every step seemed to sap the life out of them, the cold wind seemed to drain what little strength they had. The whole of nature seemed to be coming after them, fighting them at every opportunity.
And then the rain started. For Chris, it was almost too much. As the wind blew the rain almost horizontally into their faces, he felt his strength drain from him with each gust of wind. He began stumbling through the last of the sand dunes, exhausted and almost spent. Words of encouragement from Heather and John helped, but his spirit was close to breaking.
“Look Chris” said Heather, trying to raise his spirits, “we're off the dunes now, we'll be on solid rock.”
Chris looked up as she spoke and saw the mountain high above them, shrouded in the mists that were bringing so much cold and rain. Water poured down its slopes, in little streams with waterfalls and rock pools, feeding into the loch before them. As Heather had said, the ground by it was boggy, even treacherous to the unwary, and Heather was counting on this. Chris wiped away the tears he had tried to hide as he felt hard rock beneath his feet, and he felt renewed strength as his steps felt firmer and purposeful again.
“Follow me” said Heather as she began moving from boulder to boulder. “Some of these aren't rocks, just clumps of sphagnum moss that your feet'll stick right into.”
Chris looked at the clumps of moss, some over a metre across, often bright red and bulging out from the ground. They looked solid enough but he knew from experience if he stepped on one his foot would sink into the ground, possibly costing him a boot if he was unlucky. He led Annie through each step, holding her, guiding her path and making sure she was safe.
John kept his eyes on Heather, once again awe struck, this time at her nimbleness as she leapt from boulder to boulder. Her energy was inspiring to him, her indefatigability pushing him onwards, giving him the strength that Chris was struggling to find. She was now everything to him, his own Goddess of Nature, one he would follow to the end.
“Here they come!” shouted Heather as John and Chris turned to see the first of the creatures climb down the last of the dunes and head towards the bogland.
“Come on, come on” said Heather, watching as the first few creatures sprea
d out as they walked out towards them, hoping for them to fall and get stuck in the bog.
They watched as the first three creatures, barely a hundred metres away from them, began to walk into the bog. Almost immediately they began to get stuck, sinking into the ground and struggling to move. More creatures followed, and some also became stuck, falling down, sometimes on top of others, smothering them in the shallow bog. Their numbers quickly began to thin as more and more fell and drowned in the thick, black bog.
But some continued, finding the solid ground and moving forward.
“Uh-oh” said John, “some of them are doing okay.”
Naturist, Red in Tooth & Claw Page 16
