“You’re almost there, Kate,” Ethan said encouraging her, but she could see, and she knew she had a long way to go. “Keep going.”
Maybe Ethan could tell just how tired Kate was. The shovel to the side of her head had made her extra sleepy. If she hadn’t been beyond frightened, she would have wanted a nap. Her head wasn’t clear, there was still a fog encircling her head, but she was fighting against it with everything she had.
Kate stopped and lowered her head. Her breathing had quickened, but she wasn’t about to give up.
“Come on, Kate,” Ethan urged. “You can do it.”
“I will,” she said sucking in a deep breath. “I am.”
Her eyes darted toward the top of the stairs again. Why had they done it? Why had Percy and Robby dragged them out to their old farm, just to leave them tied up in their basement?
If all they had wanted was to steal a truck, they could have managed that without bothering with Kate and Ethan. Maybe it was because of their weapons, but even that seemed like a lot of trouble to go to just to get their weapons.
Percy had seemed like such a sweet, old man. She couldn’t figure out why he’d leave them there. Kate struggled to put the pieces together through the haze inside her brain. Of course, the pain that drummed at her head at the same beat of her heart wasn’t helping matters.
Whatever lived in the corner of the basement rustled inside the pile of junk motivating Kate to move faster. She pushed the fog away and refocused on trying to get to the shovel.
“Probably just a mouse,” Ethan said. He must have noticed her reaction to the movement.
“More like a rat,” Kate said. “A giant rat.”
“A rat is just a big mouse,” Ethan said, and she could tell he was smiling.
Kate bounced herself closer to the shovel. “I don’t like either.”
“Try not to think about it.”
“I was trying.”
Kate turned and inched her body back moving closer to the shovel resting against the wall. She pulled her hands up trying to position them on either side of the top edge of the shovel.
“There you go,” Ethan said, his eyes directed down toward her hands even though she was sure he couldn’t see them.
Kate grimaced as she sawed at the rope. Her fingers were numb, and it didn’t seem as though she was making any progress. She hesitated when a muscle in her shoulder pulled so tightly it made her neck twist to the side.
“My arm,” Kate said over her shoulder, catching a glimpse of Ethan still wiggling to get his freedom.
Kate drew in a breath and fought through the pain to get through the rope. A door somewhere upstairs squeaked, and Kate’s breath felt as though it was stuck in her throat attempting to cut off her oxygen.
Her eyes were round as she swallowed hard. “Are they still here?”
“I don’t think so,” Ethan whispered.
Kate’s hand moved quicker as the floorboards overhead creaked. Her eyes locked on to the spot on the ceiling where she’d heard the noise.
“Kate,” Ethan said, and she didn’t miss the nerves that shook his voice.
There was another creak above, and then another. Moments later she heard the familiar groan of The Unholy.
“Oh, shit,” Kate said, moving her hands faster than she thought possible. The rope around her hands didn’t feel any looser. “Ethan…,” Kate said, her voice softer than a cloud, “Ethan, I can’t do it. It’s not working.”
“You can’t give up. Don’t give up,” Ethan said trying to inch his way closer to Kate. The muscles in his jaw tensed. “You can do this.”
He wasn’t moving fast, but he was trying with all his might. Kate knew she couldn’t give up when another stomp echoed through the house. This one sounded different than the last.
“Fuck,” Ethan said.
“How many do you think?” Kate asked squeezing her eyes shut when the edge of the metal cut into the side of her wrist. “Three? Four?”
“Yeah,” Ethan scooted forward using the back of his heels to pull himself across the floor. “But you know what they say about four.”
Kate shook her head.
“When there’s four, you know there will be more.”
Kate looked up at him, but she didn’t stop sawing at the rope. Her eyebrows squeezed together.
“No one has ever said that,” Kate whispered.
“Yeah, and if we don’t get out of here, I won’t be able to make sure it catches on,” Ethan grinned but Kate could see he was using it to cover his worry.
She moved as quickly as she could, but it wasn’t long before she saw The Unholy pass by the open doorway at the top of the stairs. Kate bit back her gasp and Ethan was as still as a statue.
She sucked in a breath and frantically started to work her hands faster. Her heart pounded so hard she was sure Ethan could hear it.
Kate’s eyes were glued to the doorway. The air in her lungs squeezed tightly as it left her lungs.
A second Unholy limped by without looking down the stairs. But the creaking floor near the stairs stopped.
The Unholy took a step back. Its disgusting, black-veined body filled the empty space in the doorway. The Unholy’s gray eyes moved down the stairs stopping when they landed on Ethan.
Both he and Kate were impossibly still, but it hadn’t made any difference. The Unholy let out a groan as it carefully stomped its foot down on the first step.
Kate pressed her lips together to stop the whimper that threatened to seep out. She moved her hands rapidly, ignoring the cuts and scrapes as the shovel dug into her flesh. Kate could feel the warm blood as it leaked out of one of the fresh wounds, and down her hand.
She knew what would happen if she didn’t get free. Kate had to work fast because The Unholy was coming for them.
Chapter 4
A thick drool-like substance leaked out of the corner of The Unholy’s mouth as its unblinking eyes hungrily moved back and forth between Kate and Ethan.
“Jesus Christ,” Ethan muttered when the second and third Unholy appeared at the top of the stairs. “Jesus fucking Christ.”
His hands moved quicker against the rope, but the only thing Ethan was managing to do was slice deeper into his already red, raw flesh.
Kate’s shoulder throbbed and twitched as the muscle vibrated. Her entire upper body was begging her to stop.
She looked up just as the first Unholy stepped down onto the basement floor. It took a step closer as the stairs above creaked as the other two made their way down.
Ethan scooted closer positioning himself between Kate and The Unholy.
“What are you doing?” Kate said, as he leaned back and pulled his knees toward his chest.
“Buying you time.”
“I don’t think it’s working.” Fear made waves through the sound of her voice.
Ethan rolled back and launched his legs forward, solidly hitting The Unholy in the lower stomach. The creature flew back several feet, lost its balance, and crashed to the floor into a pile of soggy boxes. It didn’t bother to stand. Instead, it pushed itself free and started to crawl toward them.
“Shit,” Ethan said, readying himself again.
Kate couldn’t take her eyes off of the creature as it snaked its way toward them. As soon as the other two made their way down, they’d be screwed.
The Unholy’s jaw dropped open as it stared hungrily at Ethan. Its head slowly moved forward not realizing what Ethan was about to do once it got within range.
It moved closer and closer. Kate could feel sweat beading up on the back of her neck.
“What are you waiting for?” she asked when the creature was in kicking distance.
Before she’d even finished her sentence, Ethan launched his foot forward so hard The Unholy’s head cracked back so hard Kate thought it was going to snap off and roll away. Unfortunately, that didn’t happen.
With a little effort, The Unholy cranked its head back into position and continued forward as though nothing had ha
ppened at all. When the other two reached the bottom step, the rat or whatever it was, in the corner rustled around, and all three of The Unholy turned toward the noise.
“I can’t do it,” Kate whispered between heavy breaths just as she felt the rope loosen ever so slightly. “Wait!”
Ethan didn’t turn. He kept his body positioned ready to attack, even though the second all three of them were in front of him, Kate would have to watch them devour him, only to turn to her next.
“It loosened!” The excitement in her voice seemed to remind The Unholy of their presence, and their heads turned back almost at the same time. “Shit!”
Ethan kicked the one on the ground again. This time when it readjusted its head, it looked like it was crooked. Out of place.
“I’m running out of time here, Kate,” Ethan said, his jaw clenched as he kicked the second Unholy in the stomach, knocking it back into the other.
Kate noticed that the force behind his kick was weakening. He wouldn’t be able to keep them away much longer.
As they closed in on him, the rope stretched apart far enough that she could wriggle her hands free. Kate reached behind her and grabbed the rusted shovel.
“Duck,” She said, and Ethan instantly obeyed. It wasn’t the first time they’d used this particular offensive play against The Unholy.
Kate swung the shovel sideways, cutting into the side of The Unholy’s head. She yanked it out of its rotten, gray skin and the black poison oozed out onto the basement floor. Ethan moved his legs out of the way, but The Unholy, although slower, kept moving.
Kate thrust the shovel forward slicing the creature just above its eyes. And just as if she’d flipped an off switch, The Unholy dropped to the floor.
“One down,” Kate said, looking up at the other two, both only a step behind. Neither of them seemed to care what had just happened to their Unholy buddy.
Kate pulled the shovel back over her shoulder like a major league baseball player. When the nearest Unholy was in her strike zone, she swung, clocking it as hard as she could in the side of the head. The creature staggered to the side, giving Kate more than enough time to ram the end of the shovel into the other Unholy’s brain.
The remaining Unholy dropped its jaw open. Its expression was probably the one it’d been wearing when it had turned. It was something akin to one of shock. Kate didn’t hesitate to put the final Unholy out of its misery.
“Even with your legs tied together you’re the best,” Ethan said, but the sense of urgency that flooded his voice was as thick as molasses. He started scooting closer. “Cut me free so we can get the fuck out of this place.”
Kate was able to manipulate the shovel much easier when she could see what she was doing. It only took a few minutes to cut Ethan free.
“Maybe we can find some bandages,” Kate said looking at his red, rope-burned wrists.
“I’m fine,” Ethan said grabbing the shovel from Kate. He began sawing at the rope around her ankles. “Looks like yours need some though.”
“I’m fine too,” Kate said.
Once they were both free, Ethan stood and stretched out his hand to Kate. She took it and covered her nose with the other. The pungent rotten scent of The Unholy’s corpses made her feel lightheaded. Although maybe it also had something to do with being hit in the head.
“Here,” Ethan said shoving the shovel in Kate’s direction.
She narrowed her eyes for a moment as he stepped away to grab the other shovel that was lying on the ground where Ethan and Kate had been attacked. Kate wondered how long ago that had been. How long had she been out for?
“Ready?” Ethan said resting the shovel on his shoulder.
“Definitely,” Kate said listening as she slowly climbed the stairs. The only noises she heard were those that she and Ethan were making.
At the top of the stairs, she peered around the corner first looking left, and then right, ready to knock away any of The Unholy that might be waiting for them. But the hallway was empty. She turned to the right and headed down the hall toward the front door.
As she drew closer to the living room, she could see the light coming in through the windows wasn’t nearly as bright as it should have been. The front door had been left wide open, most likely on purpose. An invitation to welcome in The Unholy.
Ethan walked across the floor, his steps soft on the carpet. He soundlessly closed the door before looking out of the window to assess their surroundings.
“Looks like a storm is rolling in,” Kate said carefully peeling back the curtain to look out the window.
“Also looks like they took our truck,” Ethan said. “Fucker must have dug into my pocket and took the keys. If I ever see him again, I’ll wring his stupid little neck.”
Kate didn’t doubt that he would. And she wouldn’t have minded being there when he did.
“Just for the keys, or for all this?” Kate said raising a brow at Ethan.
“All of it.”
“We’re a good thirty miles from town,” Kate said adjusting her grip on the shovel.
Thunder rolled in the distance.
“We can wait it out, or we can brave it,” Ethan said looking at the walls of the home with disgust filling his eyes. Kate figured Ethan would have rather stayed in the barn instead of inside of what had once been Percy’s home.
The wind picked up and whipped the trees around like they were out of control hula dancers. Darkness fell around them filling the air with an electrical current that made the hairs on Kate’s arms perk upright.
“Hopefully, it’ll pass soon,” Ethan said glancing at Kate. “Let’s close the curtains. Check the house. Lock the doors and windows. It won’t be so bad.”
Lightning struck, lighting up the sky. Kate saw the bolt touch the ground and zip back up into the clouds. Staying was the right choice.
“You want to wait here while I check the house?” Ethan asked.
“No, no, I’m fine,” Kate said flashing him a tight-lipped smile. She was fine, but it disturbed her how much she wanted to be back inside the town, locked up inside her new hotel room.
The whole time she’d been stuck inside Simon’s town, all she’d wanted was to get out. Now she was out, and all she wanted was to get back inside.
It wasn’t like she’d wanted to hide out in a random home, she just wanted to get away from Simon and his flock. Simon was gone, and so was his flock. The town hadn’t been that bad with them out of the picture.
Kate still wanted to know what was out there, but now, things were different. When she’d finally leave the town behind, she’d want to be prepared.
“Come on,” Ethan said closing one of the nearby closet doors.
“You think they were hiding Unholy in there?” Kate asked raising her brow.
“Better safe than sorry.”
Her head bobbed up and down in agreement. Ethan gestured, and she followed him down the hall.
They checked every room, every window, and every closet before heading upstairs. Before they got back down to the living room. Rain pounded relentlessly against the house.
“Glad we’re not out there?” Ethan asked.
Kate nodded. She lowered herself down into a recliner near the window, listening to the drops of rain as they pelted against the glass.
“What if they come back?” Kate asked.
“Why would they?”
Kate shrugged. “I don’t know, to make sure we’re dead?”
“If they were that interested in making sure, they would have done it themselves. They just wanted our stuff.”
“I’m not so sure,” Kate said shaking her head.
“What do you mean?” Ethan asked, his brow wrinkled.
Kate squeezed her eyes shut for a second trying to remember. Her head still throbbed from where she’d been hit. She looked down at the cuts on her hand barely remembering how they had happened.
“He said something like, he’d want me to kill them,” Kate said pressing her fingertips to her temp
les.
“Maybe it was a dream. You were out for a while.”
She chewed her lip. “No, I don’t think so.”
“Who would want him to kill us?” Ethan wondered out loud.
“I don’t know.”
Ethan paced back and forth. He stopped suddenly and placed his hand on his forehead.
“You okay?” Kate asked.
“Lightheaded I guess.”
“Well, sit down then,” Kate said sourly. She’d managed to keep all hints of concern out of her tone.
Ethan eased himself down on the sofa across from Kate. He tipped his head back for a moment, and when he raised it back up in Kate’s direction, he froze. His complexion changed to white.
“Ethan?” Kate asked.
His eyes were focused on something, but she wasn’t sure what was wrong. He looked as though he was going to be sick.
Ethan leaned forward and without a word, turned the heart framed photograph in Kate’s direction. She blinked several times attempting to focus on the small photo.
A family of five was standing in front of a big green tractor. She shook her head not understanding the importance of the photograph.
“Look closer,” Ethan said.
Kate walked over and snatched the photo off of the end-table. She looked at the faces one by one. When it sunk in what she was looking at, her mouth dropped open, and she was sure her complexion matched Ethan’s.
“Guess Rosalie and Simon had a brother,” Ethan finally said breaking the pin-drop silence.
Kate grabbed the shovel, tightening her grip on the handle. Thunder rumbled so hard it shook the entire house and rattled the windows.
Air left her lungs and squeezed her chest. “We can’t stay here.”
Chapter 5
Ethan stood and placed his hands on Kate’s shoulders. He looked into her eyes and shook his head as lightning crashed nearby.
“I’m not letting you go out there in this storm,” Ethan said pulling Kate’s stiff body against his chest. Her hands tightened, and she could feel bits of wood from the shovel handle poking into her skin. “It’s just a house.”
Falling Darkness Series - A Post-Apocalyptic Thriller - Books 1-3 Page 20
