Charles hacked at the lock and chain without success. She felt like screaming at the delay. It was fully dark now and wispy ribbons of cloud floated across a full moon. She kicked the metal pole and turned to Charles.
“How far back is that bed and breakfast?”
“So now you’re ready to listen to me?”
“I always listen to you but I’m not going to always agree with you! Give me a break Charles! If it weren’t for this (she kicked the barrier pole again) we’d be two hours away from Springfield.” She noticed his look of utter exhaustion and stopped her tirade. She was sure she sounded like a harpy and probably resembled one. “Anyway, no harm done. None of those things found us. We can rest tonight and figure out a way to get this open tomorrow.” They trudged wearily back to the Explorer, listening to the cawing birds settling back into the trees.
If they had delayed their departure a few minutes longer, they would have heard something else. Slow, relentless footsteps sounded in the still night air. Drawn by the sound of the gun and the departing vehicle, a mangled, nightmarish figure emerged from the wooded hillside and stumbled slowly down the road.
Chapter 17
Young and old
were hunted down by that dark death-shadow
who lurked and swooped in the long nights
on the misty moors; nobody knows
where these reavers from hell roam on their errands.
-Beowulf
Moon shadows cast by towering pines darkened the road. Marked by a small tower of stacked stones, the entrance to the bed and breakfast was only a few minutes back down the mountain. Branches of giant rhododendrons scraped the sides of the vehicle like clutching fingers as the SUV bounced in and out of ruts on the steep, graveled drive.
“They don’t maintain this drive during winter so it’s bound to be rough. Take it as easy as you can. We don’t want to blow a tire or scrape hard underneath.” Charles’ voice was tired. Virginia glanced at him briefly and saw deep circles under his eyes before the Explorer passed back into shadows.
The road leveled out and ended in a circular forecourt in front of the entrance. Illuminated by moonlight, The Laurels Inn was impressive. Constructed of mountain stone, the two-story structure loomed over them, blank windows revealing nothing about what might or might not lurk within. Virginia shut down the engine and they sat for a few minutes, assessing the area.
Constructed in the late 1800s by a group of British expatriates, the inn started life as a manor house set among paddocks and fruit orchards. It was built to be an example of utopian communal living but had failed as so many of those experiments had. Most of the outbuildings were long gone but the house survived and operated as an exclusive bed and breakfast seven months of the year. Local artists exhibited in its large public rooms. Virginia had heard of it but had never been here before.
“I’m sleepy Virginia. Whose house is this? Are there bad people inside?” Daniel crawled into her lap.
Charles said grimly. “I hope not but we know how to take care of them if there are, don’t we?”
They walked past the carved wooden front door to the glass sunroom on the south side of the house. Using a rock, they broke the glass pane in the door near the handle, unlocked the door, and went inside. Their wet shoes squelched on the highly polished wood floor. Walking into the central hall, they couldn’t see much but there was an impression of open space around them. The air smelled faintly of furniture polish and apples. The smell of death was blessedly absent.
She mentioned this to Charles. “I don’t smell any of them in here. I feel safe. Do you?”
“No and you shouldn’t either. Stay here. I’m going to try to find a generator and see if we can get some power going.”
Sitting on the floor, they listened to his retreating footsteps. There was a faint sound of scratching and shuffling coming from somewhere but she attributed it to either mice or squirrels in the attic. Finding herself nodding off she pinched her arm to wake up. Suddenly they heard loud banging sounds throughout the house. Daniel cried out and clutched her tightly. She stood and switched her flashlight on, swinging it frantically as she turned in a circle, but saw nothing. The banging continued but grew fainter and they heard footsteps growing louder, coming nearer. She held her gun in both hands, ready to shoot until she saw Charles enter from the area behind the staircase.
“Did you hear that? Are you ok?”
Charles looked surprised. “I’m fine. I turned the water on. The pipes are knocking as they fill up but they’ll stop. The water comes from a spring fed cistern farther up the hillside so we should have good water pressure but the pipes have antifreeze in them. We need to open the taps and let them run for a while to clear it all out. Help me find some matches and we’ll light the pilot and get some warm water.”
Matches, along with emergency candles, were in one of the kitchen drawers and Charles lit the pilot. They climbed the staircase and explored the rooms along the mezzanine. The first room contained a high poster bed with a pull out trundle. Across the room, one door revealed a closet but another led to an attached bathroom. They found sheets, blankets, towels, soaps, and shampoo in a linen closet farther down the hall, next to another bathroom.
Two more bedrooms, each with their own fireplace containing kindling already laid, were at the end of the hall. They discovered oil lamps on the mantles and lit them, putting out the candles.
“Daniel, do you want your own room or do you want to sleep in the little bed in the other room?”
“I’m not a baby; I can sleep in my own room.” Virginia was glad to hear little boy truculence in his voice. He had been too quiet over the last few days.
“Of course you’re not a baby. Babies can’t take their own baths but you can. I’m going to start the water for you. Do you want bubbles?”
“Bubbles are for girls.”
“Right. I guess I forgot.”
The water gushed cold and faintly pink from the tap. She waited until it warmed and ran clear before she plugged the drain and let it fill the tub. Finding one of the toothbrushes from the mini mart, she put a stripe of toothpaste on it and left it by the sink. She called to Daniel, “Bath’s ready. Hurry before it gets cold and don‘t forget to brush your teeth.” Leaving the door slightly ajar, she left him to his own devices and went down the hall. She forced a grumbling Charles to help her make the beds with the clean white sheets.
“Why do we need sheets? We’ll only be here one night and it’s not like I have anything clean to sleep in. For some reason I forgot to bring my pyjamas to the Apocalypse.”
“Sleep in that.“ She pointed at the back of the bedroom door. A white, plush, spa style robe hung from a clothes hook. He frowned at her and she laughed. Daniel appeared at the door, wrapped in a huge towel. She found the robe from the other bedroom and wrapped him in it snugly, listening to his abbreviated prayers and tucking him in. The kindling in the small fireplace lit easily. He was asleep before she left the room.
She had no intention of taking a quick bath. She took a shower first; washed her hair twice then ran the tub full of clean water and lay back, soaking up the warmth, reveling in being clean for the first time in days. The big house was quiet but outside the wind picked up, gusting through the surrounding trees and rattling the old gutters under the eaves.
The water cooled too quickly. Drying off and cinching the terry robe around her waist, she walked into the bedroom, wishing this room had its own fireplace. There was a tap at the door. She opened it and a hollowed eyed Charles came in. She had never seen anyone look so tired.
“I checked the rest of the house the best I could in the dark. There’s some canned soup and beans but they won’t taste like much cold. I’m surprised this place doesn’t have a generator. A hot breakfast would have been a treat.”
“The shower was almost as good as a meal. Thanks for securing the house. Did you see any tools that might cut that chain on the barrier pole?”
“There were tools in
the basement, mostly gardening stuff but we’ll be able to have a better look tomorrow. I‘m off for my shower. See you in the morning.”
“Night.”
Exhaustion rolled over her. She crawled into the tall bed like a penitent seeking the divine gift of sleep. The sheets were crisp and faintly lavender scented and she fell asleep in minutes.
The sound of breaking glass woke her. Sunlight poured through the window from a brilliantly blue sky. She didn’t know how long she had slept but she felt wide-awake. Something crashed to the floor below, followed by the sound of more glass shattering. She dressed quickly and grabbed her shotgun, opening the door slowly and peering over the oak banister. She didn’t see anyone. A quick look down the hallway showed that Charles’ and Daniel’s doors were still closed. Cautiously descending the stairs, she saw the cause of all the noise. An enormous infected man had somehow crashed through the fragile old panes of the sunroom’s glass wall and staggered about, stumbling into furniture and shelves. Glass shards protruded from his neck and chest. One arm hung limply at his side. He had no flesh left on his face but a tag on his gore crusted work shirt identified him as Lenny. She lifted her shotgun.
“I‘m so sorry.” The shot exploded his head into black chunks of stinking flesh. The enormous body sank to the ground and slumped against a rocking chair causing it to rock wildly. Footsteps sounded behind her and she turned to see Daniel, the spa robe dragging the floor behind him. His hair stuck up all over his head and he looked sleepy still.
“Did you kill it Virginia?”
“I’m afraid I had to.”
“Good.”
Breakfast consisted of cheese crackers washed down with juice while sitting at one of the round, glass tables in the dining room. Picture windows offered views of the snowy, wooded hillside behind the house. Flagstones set into the hill formed a natural stair path up into the woods. Charles still slept and Virginia hesitated to wake him. She searched the house for tools to break the chain at the pass but found only hedge trimmers and other lawn equipment.
The cold air pouring in through the sunroom was a constant reminder of how easily something could get in. The feeling of safety she had last night was gone. Somehow, they find us. Always. Covering Lenny’s body with an extra sheet, she thought of something. Rolling the body to one side, she tugged his wallet out of his pocket. A photo id card identified him as Leonard Hampshire with the state highway department. Excited she went through the rest of his pockets looking for keys. Finding two sets she pocketed both, sure one would unlock the barrier pole at Chapel Croft pass. Deciding to wake Charles with the good news she ran upstairs and knocked on his bedroom door. No answer. She eased the door open.
He lay face down on the floor beside the bed. She rushed over and rolled him onto his back. He was breathing but with obviously difficulty and (she caught her breath) he had flecks of black mucous on his lips.
Her heart sank. He hadn’t been bitten; he would have told her. She didn’t understand what had happened. She dragged him up into the bed and covered him with the blanket, propping his head up with pillows to ease his breathing. He wasn’t vomiting yet but he needed to stay hydrated. She unconsciously jingled the keys in her pocket as she went downstairs for a cup of water. There was no question of leaving now.
Hours went by. Charles grew colder despite the fire in the fireplace and extra blankets on the bed. Daniel kept watch with her, solemnly filling the cup with fresh water from the bathroom and trying to get Charles to drink. They finally settled for dribbling water into his mouth with a wet washcloth. Outside the day continued as fair and sunny as it had started, in contrast to their deathwatch inside. Virginia knew she needed to restrain Charles soon. He was so weak, it was impossible to imagine him as someone to fear but it would happen. He became restless and tossed about as evening came on. Black spittle appeared on his lips occasionally and she wiped it away, cleaning the cloth each time, keeping Daniel away from it.
When night fell, she sent Daniel to take a bath while she ripped a sheet into strips. She bound his ankles tightly to the bedposts and pulled his arms up to tie to the posts on the headboard. As she did, he cried out in pain and she cringed but doggedly continued. His left arm seemed to cause the most pain. She pulled the arm free of the terry robe to check for bite marks. Instead, she found something entirely unexpected.
A hot raised patch of flesh, almost baseball sized, bulged under his arm. She touched it gently and he cried out. It was red around the edges but dark in the center. A variation of the disease? She finished tying his hands and left to help Daniel get ready for bed. She didn’t want him around when Charles turned and she did what she had to.
“How old is your little boy?” Daniel wanted to know.
“Did you brush your teeth? “ He nodded. “Almost two. His name is Greg. My daughter is five and her name is Anna. You’ll meet them tomorrow if we can get across the pass.”
“Can we play tomorrow?”
“Of course you can play. We may have to stay indoors but we’ll find something to play, I’m sure.” The thought of seeing them again brought an overwhelming feeling of joy mixed with apprehension. They’ll be there, she told herself, and they’ll be just fine. She kissed the top of his head after tucking him in then went back to Charles.
He appeared no better or worse. She carefully checked the growth under his arm. It might be slightly bigger, she wasn’t sure, but it was definitely harder, the skin stretched taut. Just then, he began to cough, spewing out more tarry phlegm. Gagging at the smell, she wiped it away. He lapsed deeper into unconsciousness and she sat back to wait. Anger and grief mixed with incredulity that she sat at the bedside of a friend, waiting to shoot him in the head so he wouldn’t come back to life and eat her. The room was cold. There wasn’t any firewood left.
She dozed and dreamed that she was back in her attic. Anna and Greg were with her and they were both sick but she wasn’t worried. She had the antibiotics from the pharmacy and she knew they would be all right. Their beds were in the attic too and she tucked them in after they took their medicine. Anna began to cough. She held her and rubbed her back. Virginia looked out through the vent and saw the infected gathering in front of the house. A dead Yun Li looked up and staggered toward her, the others following gracelessly. Anna’s cough grew louder and deeper. She pressed her to her bosom to muffle the sound and- woke up.
The bed was shaking. Charles alternately coughed and moaned. She felt along the floor for the gun, got up, and turned the lamp wick higher, dreading what she had to do.
“Don’t shoot Virginia, not yet. Dear God it hurts.” His words were slurred and raspy and his eyes, bloodshot but still blue and full of intelligence, pleaded with her. She put the gun down, soaked the washcloth with fresh water and bathed his face. He was in agony. Not knowing what else to do she grabbed another cloth, soaked it in hot water and spread it like a poultice over the swelling under his arm. She heard a soft pop and black pus poured out of the now open sore. A foul smell filled the room as she stuffed towels under the area to try to keep the discharge off the sheets. The pus changed from black to yellow as it continued to ooze, almost spurting, from the abscess. Minutes passed and the flow changed to blood mixed with pus, still pouring out in alarming amounts. She grabbed a clean towel and applied pressure to the sore. Gradually, the discharge diminished. Running more hot water, she carefully cleaned the area and packed it with rolled, clean cloths. Charles was no longer conscious which was probably a mercy. His breath came in short, painful gasps.
She gathered the soiled towels and cloths and threw them in the basement. There was a laundry area down there but it was useless without electricity. Feeling unclean herself she took a quick shower before going back to keep watch. Charles’ breathing was more even and he seemed to be in less pain. She settled down in the bedside chair, prepared for a long night. Outside, scudding clouds obscured the moon briefly but nothing other than a hooting owl disturbed the quiet night.
Chapter 18
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br /> At the sight of them, nations are in anguish; every face turns pale.
Joel 2:6
“I had no idea. You should have told me you were into this kind of thing. It’s presumptuous of you to just spring it on me like this.”
She heard the words but they made no sense. Her neck hurt and her face rested on something hard. The sun shone brightly against her eyelids. She opened her eyes and saw Charles looking at her from the bed, arms and legs still bound. She sat up in the chair, rubbing her neck and pushing her hair out of her face.
“I’m not a judgmental person when it comes to someone’s private life but this really isn’t my idea of fun. So if you can just untie me, we’ll never speak of this again.” Charles’ voice was weak and he looked terrible but he was definitely laughing at her. Thank God.
“Tell me this first. Do I look good to you? Good enough to eat maybe?”
“You look good, except for the drool.” She swiped at her mouth. “But I don’t want to eat anything unless it’s been approved by the FDA and then cooked medium well.”
She untied him, carefully easing his left arm down. Relief at the realization he was all right coursed through her and she smiled down at him. He took her hand and said solemnly, “Thanks. I don’t remember much about last night but I do remember you being there.”
“De nada. Are you hungry? We managed to get some water into you yesterday but no food.”
“Starving. I’ll take whatever you have.”
Two hours later, they were ready to go. Using a bed sheet, she improvised a sling to hold Charles’ arm steady. The hole left by the ulceration still wept blood sporadically. His shoulder drooped oddly, as if the infection had eaten into the musculature.
Sunlight danced on the windows of the old house as they drove away. By daylight she could see the ivy vines, currently leafless, that covered the stone walls. It must be beautiful in season, all covered in green. Guiding the Explorer over the rutted drive was easier in daylight. Snow still lay on the shaded hillsides but melted and poured down in little rivulets anywhere the sun touched.
The Living Dead (Book 1): Contagion Page 14
