The Fifth

by K. D Rawlingson

  "Sadie, I don't know what you're talking about but you need to come in here before you get in trouble dear"

  The words had been said in a way that portrayed she was nothing more than a little old lady but her mask had slipped, I'd thought something was off about her the instant I'd seen her standing in the doorway. I had wondered how she came to be here especially when everyone else had been kept prisoner, in the barn but had put it down to sheer unluckiness. Now I knew different. Her eyes shone red for just a moment but enough for me to know she wasn't the little old lady she pretended to be.

  As her frustration with the fact she was unable to move me grew. She tried placing the palms of her hands on my cheeks like a loving grandma might, to trying to coax me into the room.

  "I know you don't want to be locked up in this room but it will be far worse for you if The Master finds out you have disobeyed him"

  For a millisecond I wavered, terrified she was right, horrors at what he could do to me if he found out but, I knew this was my last chance if I didn’t try to escape and my vision of Sol came true because of my cowardice to act I could never live with myself. If I didn’t get away and was punished for trying so be it.

  Cass must have seen my face set into determination, that one way or another I was going to try and flee and for a moment I really thought she was going to let me go. Why I'd thought that I don't know but when she slapped me around the face far harder than I thought her possible of, I knew where I stood.

  “This is your last chance Sadie before I tell The Master how you have behaved this evening. He will be very pleased to learn that you have not learnt the first lesson and he will need to reteach it. Piss me off anymore girl and I’ll be sure to tell him”

  Cass’s eyes glowed red for a second time and the edges of her mouth grinned openly confirming what I already knew; the little old lady act was just a ruse.

  I knew what I had to do and now before I lost the element of surprise so, not letting emotions cloud my judgment and my instincts guild the way. I close my eyes, took a deep breath and attacked.

  I spun in a circle grabbing the chain out of Cass's hands as I went. I moved so fast I surprised myself as well as Cass who now stood there empty-handed. All pretence was completely gone, her eyes flickered red again and she threw herself at me screaming like a banshee. It was definitely no normal scream it was more like a battle cry or something.

  At the last second, I moved out the way and used the only weapon I had, I spun the excess chain around her neck several times and pulled. The motion caused her to fall to the ground as she tried to realise the chain strangling her.

  I knew I was short on time and didn't have long before either the Master or the hellhounds would be here, the screech Cass had let off sounded un-naturally high and was sure to alert anyone within distance. my only grace was I hoped the wind would drone out some of the noise, it had really picked up and was so loud it was as if I was standing in the middle of a tornado.

  “Where is he?” I shouted at her.

  “This is YOUR last chance” I pull the chain so tight I knew I was crushing her wing pipe so let go and asked again. “If you don’t tell me I will kill you.”

  She spluttered trying to catch her breath but didn’t say a word she just looked and smiled. I couldn’t help it I saw red all I wanted was Sol and I was sure this fucker knew. The feeling of burning from the inside-out flared down my arms and it was so intense it surprised me and I let go of the chain. Cass was up in a flash, unwrapping the chain and was going for the door.

  Without thinking I reach out to grab her, the burning pain shot down my extended arms and a bright flash flung out my hands and into Cass’s back, throwing her face first to the floor. I looked from my hands to Cass and back at my hand in complete shock at what I’d just done. What the fucking hell had I just done.

  Cass's moans from the floor brought me to my senses. Getting up and rushing over to her I saw that the back of her dress and apron had been burned away leaving black smoking skin as if she'd been hit with a lightning bolt.

  Is that what I just threw, from my hand…. lightning? Not having the time to think too much about it I needed to get Sol and get out this place. I gently flipped the semi breathing Cass over so she was lying on her side. She moaned again as I was moving her and opened her eyes. They were glowing red but I could also see the fear in them.

  "Where was the man I was captured with" I boomed holding my palm at her face as a weapon. She looked from my hand to my face a few times, fear completely evident in her now. Her glowing eyes flickered a few times, it reminded me of a toy that was running out of batteries. Maybe something had taken over her body and was losing control. I had no facts and was only guessing but it definitely looked as if some internal war was being fought.

  I needed to find Sol and get the hell out of here, I didn’t have time for this.

  The glowing of her eyes dimmed and her last words were no louder than a mouse, I was surprised I even heard them.

  “If he isn’t in the men’s quarters then he has been sold. I do not go there as I only serve The Master but it is what happens with all the men of the light, they are held until they are sold”

  "Where are these quarters?" I asked, hope newly infused in me.

  Cass went to open her mouth but instead of words, she coughed up blood. I had hit her worse than I thought and she must have been bleeding internally. I tried to help her sit up but it was too late she coughed a final time and then died. The last sign of red to her eyes vanished and whatever had had a hold on her, had gone leaving a frail old lady behind.

  I closed her eyes and laid her on the floor. Part of me was so horrified by what I'd done I almost wanted to curl up on that mattress and cry. I mean what the hell was I? But Sol didn't have time for me to sit around wallowing in my own shit, he needs me. So, instead of falling to pieces I concentrated on getting out of here. I first needed to get this fucking shackle off my neck, it would slow me down too much and would make too much noise. Hoping Cass had a spare key I patted her down. On the belt of her grey dress under the apron was a keyring. I prayed to anyone that could hear me that it was one of these keys was the one to undo this thing around my neck.

  The keyhole was around the back and it was hard to slide it in. Without being able to see and only touch, it took me several tries, each time I missed making the slices in my neck scream out in pain. I could feel them healing but it was slow and still painful.

  The strength I had felt a little while ago was still there but had waned since Cass's death and before it left me completely I needed out, therefore, I just sucked up the pain and got on with it. On my fourth try I manage to successfully fit a key in the lock, I held my breath as I turned it and couldn't help the little yep of joy when I heard it click open.

  The feeling of relief was fantastic but it wouldn’t stay that way if they found me. Now shackle free, all I had to do was sneak out of here and find Sol.

  I had lost all sense of time, I was pretty sure it was early morning but couldn’t be one hundred percent sure. The rain was still coming down in bucket loads and the dark clouds were all I could see from the window in the roof. I had no idea where those great beasts were, I could only hope they had hunkered down somewhere to stay dry and the wind and rain would mask any noise I might make.

  I took a final look round the room and at Cass before I tiptoed out closing and locking the door behind me. Once on the other side, I tried to listen for any indication of anybody else. I had only seen Cass and The Master in the house but that didn't mean others weren't here. The burning feeling in the pit of my stomach had died down to a bearable level but by no means had it gone. Strangely it made me feel more secure. I didn't know how it was all connected, how I had released it but I knew the feeling had something to do with the lightning I'd shot out my hands and with my healing abilities. My cuts and gashes were healing much faster than ever before, even more so after I had shot the lightning. I was glad too because I needed to find So
l and get out this place.

  Hearing nothing but the weather outside I decided it was as safe as it was going to get. I crept down the wide corridor and stopped when I reached the end to place my ear on the door. After a few seconds, I slowly opened it and made a dash for the front door. The door was all wood with a key in the lock to open it but no windows to see if it was safe. However, it did have a letterbox on the front I hadn't noticed when I'd arrived here, kneeling down I lifted the metal flap and tried to push the weather stripping apart so I could see through. Thankfully the bristles were old and parted easily but the rain was so fierce that was all I could see. Without knowing no other way out, I turned the key and slowly opened the door.

  Thankfully, no one was in sight and I couldn’t help breathe a sigh of relief. A big gravel driveway was in front of me, to the left was the path leading to the barn I’d been held in, to the right the gravel driveway followed the house and looked to go around the back.

  I had seconds to decide which way to go and before I knew it I had chosen and had turned left, half sprinting, half limping back down the path towards the barn. I knew it was pretty crazy seeing as that was probably where the Hell Hounds were but Cass had said Sol might be in the men's quarters. The barn I was in held only women and children. I could only hope the men's one was close. The rain had me soaked in seconds but rather than be pissed off, I silently thankful as it was the only cover I had. I hoped that it also meant that the hell hound-monster things weren't flying about keeping watch from the air, not that it stopped me glancing at the sky every few seconds. Everything was silent apart from the wind howling, the rain pouring down and thunder that boomed above me. I knew I had only moments to find cover as bolts of lightning lit the whole sky and each time I was scared I would be seen.

  The smell hit me before I saw the dim glow of light, escaping from the gaps in the barn and I immediately felt bile rise in my throat. Not just from the smell but from the thought of all those people trapped in there. It was damn right disgusting and I wished I could do something to help them. I wondered about using the new-found power I had but was unsure if I could do it again and was even more unsure if they would come with me at all. Something had happened to them and most looked like they had succumbed to the role of the prisoner. Once I had found Sol then maybe with the two of us we could at least try.

  I reached the end of the path leading to the barn where I was still fairly covered. From my viewpoint, I could only see the side of the barn. To get to the front, I would need to follow the path or go over the grass, both leaving me fully exposed. Not that I want to go to the front of the barn, I just wanted to see if it was being guarded or if the fear had been drummed into them so much they didn't need to guard it all the time. If the latter was the case it would make my job of finding Sol a little bit easier. It was too much of a risk to check so I followed the hedge the other way until I was directly across from the back of the barn.

  After making a mad dash across the field between me and the barn I crept down and peered in through one of the holes. Everything looked the same most of the people were huddled together in groups trying to keep warm, rain-spattered everywhere, soaking everything. The barn was big and I needed to look through several holes before I found what I was looking for. She was sat at the side next to a hay bale alone. I couldn't see her face as she had it rested on her arms but I knew it was her from the pink cocktail dress she wore and the long blond hair. She was no more than fifteen or twenty feet away if I could get her over to where you went to the toilet I had noticed while looking through holes that enough wood was loose in the corner that she could get out. It was clear no one had thought it a worry as everyone in that barn looked pretty much dead and in no way, had enough in them to try to escape.

  "Pssst," I whispered as quietly as I could.

  Her head lifted as if she had heard something but then she laid it back down so, I tried again a bit this louder this time

  “Pssstt” Her head shot up and she looked about to see who was trying to get her attention

  "Over here," I said.

  She was still gagged and tied up at but that look of defiance hadn't left her and I couldn't help but smile when her eye caught mine. She looked so surprised but didn't waste any time and shuffled over to the little hole. I told her about the loose wood over by the toilet behind the hay bale. I told her I didn't know how much time we had, to make it as quick as possible but she had to try and look as inconspicuous as she could. She gave me a swift nod of the head and I took it that she was on board.

  I made my way around the barn, thankfully no alarm bell was ringing and if anybody was here the storm was keeping them inside where they were warm and dry, I, however, was soaking wet and cold but also had a buzz that I was going to be able to actually free one of these prisoners I wished I could do more but it was a start. I was pretty sure one of the key I had kept from Cass was going to work in the girls lock but couldn't be one percent and with the possibility of being found at any moment, I was flitting from one emotion to another.

  While I waited for the girl to make her way over to the corner, I searched around to make sure I was alone and to see if I could see any sign of the men's quarters Cass had told me about. When I couldn't see either monster or where Sol was being kept I returned and started removing as much wood as I could so she could fit through. It was only small and she would need to lay down and I would have to pull her out. I just hoped nobody saw.

  I was looking about when her head popped out the hole. I nearly jumped out my skin. I told her to lift her arms out first and I would help pull her out. Her head shot back in and her arms came out. I got down on my knees and pulled as hard as I could, the rain wasn't just helping with keeping us hidden it had drenched the ground making it much easier to pull her out. When she was free we were both covered in mud and looked a right state but I could see how happy she was to be out of that barn. Her look changed then to one of concern. I wondered for a second why and then remembered I must look like hell. I shook my head and told her I was fine it was just a few scratches. I undid the gag around her mouth and pulled the key's out my pocket while she was wiggling her jaw much the same way I had. After a few try's a key finally slid into the lock and clicked undone. She quickly shook the shackles off her hand and I worked on the lock at her ankle when that one clicked undone too she threw herself at me wrapped her arms around my neck and gave me the biggest hug. It hurt like crazy but I didn’t say anything.

  "Thank you," she said over and over again as tears streamed down her face. I told her it was fine and we needed to get going. She immediately let go, dried her eyes and nodded at me to lead the way. I knew I like her the moment I saw her in the barn but watching her now confirmed my thoughts, she had guts and courage and it was a good decision to get her out that place.

  I took off across the field toward the hedge but away from the path near the main house with the girl right next to me.

  "I'm Sadie," I said when we were far enough away from the barn I hoped we wouldn't be heard

  "Hi Sadie, Kayla," she said pointing at herself.

  "Kayla, how long have you been here"?

  We were still jogging as we talked

  "Eight-nine days maybe? After a few days in that place, it's hard to keep track."

  We had pasted the hedge and got halfway across the next field when I spotted a load of trees to the left of us and I changed direction to make our way there. The rain had helped a great deal but we were both shivering like crazy, Kayla far worse than me and I knew how cold I was. We needed to regroup, catch our breath and then I was going to carry on looking for Sol. I hoped Kayla would help but if she wanted to get as far away from this place as possible I wasn’t about to stop her.

  “Kayla do you know of a men’s camp here? I’m looking for someone that was taken when I was.”

  “No sorry Sadie, I don’t even know where we are.”

  We took shelter under a tree to catch our breath.

  "What happened
? How did you end up here?" I asked.

  Kayla’s eyes glaze over for a second and she looked as if she was about to cry. I wished I hadn’t said anything but then she seemed to shake off whatever it was that had brought her near to tears and said

  "I was at my nan's in the garden picking some veg. Mum had brought us to her when the virus started killing everyone we knew. We lived in Ashbane and things were getting really bad, nan lived in the country, in Cherrywood and mum thought it would be safer there than in a town plus, we wanted to make sure nan was ok. Anyway, me, mum and nan tried to keep to ourselves, nan loved to garden and had enough food planted in there to last a few months plus we had emptied out everything at our house so we thought we could wait it out."

  Kayla stopped taking and I waited patiently for her to continue. When she did, I could hear the pain in her voice.

  “Men on motorcycles rode up onto nans street I had heard the roaring of the engines as I was in the back garden getting some veg for dinner that night. At first, I didn’t think anything of it after all I had seen some pretty strange things over the last few weeks what was a few bikes. But, I should have known it meant trouble. I heard a scream and a gun go off, I got up and raced to the house but I wasn't quick enough. Nan was laying there, by the front door dead. They had shot her the moment they saw her; two men had my mum held down and a third stood aiming a gun at me. I couldn't do anything. I thought they were going to kill us I wish they had it would have been better"

  Tears streamed down Kayla's face and I placed my arm around her shoulders to try and comfort her and tell her it was going to be ok. Even though it was far from what I was really feeling. Kayla placed her head on her knees.

  “They raped her Sadie.”

  "WHAT," I said not wanting her to repeat it but not sure if I'd heard her right. She looked up from her knees eyes red, tears streaming down her face and said through sobs

  “They made me watch. Then after, they shot her in the head.”