Vanished

by Eden Darry

  The constant feeling of being watched had also gone away, and she was relived. She just hoped it would stay that way. Ellery wasn’t looking forward to spending the night out in the open, but they didn’t really have any other choice.

  She looked up as Loveday brought over a bowl of soup and took it gratefully. “Thanks.”

  Loveday smiled and went back to her side of the camping stove. She was still quiet, though the awkwardness between them seemed to have gone. Ellery decided it was easier to let it be. She was surprised when Loveday spoke.

  “How long have you lived in town?” she asked.

  “I grew up nearby, and after I finished studying, I moved there to open my practice. So about eight years now. When did you move there?” Ellery put her empty bowl down and leaned back on her elbows.

  “Only seven months ago.”

  “Where are you from originally?”

  Loveday got up and began tidying. Ellery sensed she’d overstepped again and cursed herself for her poor social skills. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to pry.”

  Loveday sighed. “You didn’t. It’s a normal question to ask somebody.”

  “But you don’t want to talk about it, and that’s okay. We’re all entitled to our privacy.” Ellery stood up and brushed the grass off her trousers. “I’m going to take a walk up to the road. I won’t be long.”

  Ellery was annoyed with herself. Up until earlier, they’d been getting on well, and a tentative friendship seemed to be forming between them. Now, Loveday was defensive and remote, and Ellery couldn’t help feeling responsible. She shouldn’t have nearly kissed her. On the other hand, Loveday’s sensitive spots seemed close to the surface and easy to trip over. She was secretive and remote, and Ellery understood that because she was the same, but she thought Loveday might be even more closed off than her.

  Ellery looked across at the road and studied the occasional car that had either crashed or rolled to a stop. What was happening? Where was everybody? It occurred to Ellery that apart from the birds, she hadn’t seen any animals either. Had they vanished too? The thought of it made Ellery feel sick. So far today they’d found no signs of life at all. Was it really possible that she and Loveday were the last two people left? She hoped not, because the way things were going, Loveday wouldn’t be talking to her at all soon. Ellery wished she’d gone out more with the practice staff. At least she could have brushed up a bit on her social skills.

  Chapter Twenty-One

  Loveday washed the bowls with some of the bottled water they’d brought and packed them away in her rucksack again. Both Claude and Rocky were fast asleep in their pram, and Loveday had to laugh at the sight of them all tucked up.

  She could just about make out the top of Ellery’s head where she stood near the road. Loveday felt guilty, knowing she was the reason Ellery was over there. It would serve her right if Ellery took off in the night and left her to it. She couldn’t blame her. She’d probably leave her too.

  Asking someone where they were from wasn’t a nosy question, and yet she’d reacted like Ellery asked her how many sexual partners she’d had. And that was the other problem, wasn’t it? Loveday was attracted to Ellery and she could feel it getting stronger. And it wasn’t just sex—it was worse than that. Loveday actually liked her. Ellery was funny and sweet and kind and a great catch.

  The problem was, Loveday wasn’t. She was selfish and cowardly, and she didn’t trust herself not to hurt her. Plus, it seemed like they were the only two people who’d survived the weird storm, and they needed each other. Loveday couldn’t shag her and do a runner—well, she could, but that would be suicide.

  Loveday sighed and looked back at the tent, which drew her attention to another problem. It was going to be hell sharing that small tent tonight. Looking at it, there was no way they couldn’t not touch each other. Loveday just hoped she wouldn’t do anything stupid in her sleep. She was a snuggler and naturally gravitated towards anyone she shared a bed with. In her other life it hadn’t been an issue because she usually only shared a bed with someone she was sleeping with.

  Tonight, she was sharing a bed with sweet, sexy Ellery. Life was such a bitch sometimes. How easy would it be to roll towards Ellery in the night? To kiss her. Would Ellery kiss her back? Loveday imagined trailing her fingers over the soft skin of Ellery’s cheek. Over her lips and down her neck. Shit. She shouldn’t be thinking like this. It was dangerous and no good could come of it. Loveday needed to get a grip, and fast. Before she fucked everything up and found herself alone in a world where everyone had disappeared.

  * * *

  Loveday opened her eyes. She was lying on her side with one arm draped over Ellery’s middle, though mercifully she’d kept half a foot of space between their bodies.

  She quickly rolled in the other direction and came face-to-face with Rocky, who was sitting up and staring at her expectantly. “Hey, boy,” she whispered and stroked his head. “Do you need the toilet?”

  Rocky cocked his head to one side and chuffed. She wasn’t sure what that meant. Loveday didn’t have any experience with dogs. Cats had always been her pet of choice, though after the short amount of time she’d spent with Rocky, she was beginning to think she might have missed out.

  “Come on, I’ll take you.” Loveday got up as quietly as she could and slipped out of the tent. She pulled on her boots and winced as her heels caught on the backs of them. Rocky waited patiently for her to do her laces, then followed her into the copse of trees.

  She aimed her torch near the ground and watched as he sauntered off a ways and began to sniff the grass, pawing here and there. “For someone who spends a lot of time with their nose up Claude’s backside, you certainly are fussy about where you take a shit,” Loveday said.

  Rocky ignored her and continued with his routine. Loveday sighed and glanced around. She’d never been afraid of the dark, but it just now occurred to her how dark it was. Even with the torch she couldn’t see more than six feet in front of her.

  Off to the left, a twig snapped and Loveday jumped. She spun the torch wildly in the direction of the noise and braced herself to see the same figure who had been in Ellery’s back garden. Relieved to find she was still alone, Loveday shone the torch back on Rocky, who was staring hard in the same direction, his ears pricked.

  “Oh, bloody hell,” Loveday whispered. She was back to being completely freaked out now she knew Rocky heard the noise as well and it wasn’t just her imagination. “Rocky, come on.” She urged the little dog who was still staring intently into the darkness.

  Loveday didn’t want to leave him, but she also didn’t want to be stuck out here in the open if someone—that person from Ellery’s garden—was out here with her. The tent wouldn’t offer any protection either, but at least Ellery was in there. Out here, she was alone.

  Without warning, Rocky took off further into the copse. “Rocky, no!” Loveday called, but he paid her no mind. She took several steps towards him, then stopped. She took a deep breath. Should she go after him and possibly to her death? Or back to the relative safety of the tent? Back to the tent, back to the tent, a little voice whispered. It was the same cowardly voice that had led her to this point in her life. The voice that had ruled her for too long.

  Surely he couldn’t get too far with that cast on his leg? Loveday took a deep breath, squared her shoulders, and walked deeper into the copse.

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  Ellery woke up. She knew before she opened her eyes she was alone in the tent. The steady sound of Loveday’s breathing which Ellery found comforting was absent. She sat up and saw the tent flap was open. Ellery pulled it to the side and peered out into the darkness. The torch by the exit was gone and without it, she could see nothing.

  It was funny how even in the countryside you got used to a certain amount of light pollution. The small glow from a distant house or headlights from the road. Now, since everyone disappeared, there was nothing.

  Ellery poked her head out of the tent (it was as m
uch as she was willing to do in the total blackness) and called out to Loveday. She waited a moment, listening for any reply.

  She’s probably gone to answer the call of nature. But there was an uneasiness inside she couldn’t place. Claude lay curled by Loveday’s pillow and blinked slowly at her as if to say, chill out, everything’s fine. Everything didn’t feel fine though. Maybe she’s gone. Maybe she left me. Things had been strained between them since the incident that afternoon. Perhaps Loveday decided it would be easier to go. No, she wouldn’t leave Claude, Ellery was sure of that.

  Without a watch, it was difficult to mark time. It seemed like ages since Ellery had woken up but in reality it was probably only a couple of minutes. She thought about going out to look for Loveday but quickly squashed the idea. She couldn’t even get up at night in her home for a pee without a night light. There was no way she could face going out into the pitch black.

  Coward.

  So what if she was? It wasn’t like things were exactly normal right now. Who could blame her for staying in the tent?

  Such a coward.

  Ellery ignored the voice and moved back to her sleeping spot. What if Loveday was in trouble? No, Ellery would have heard her cry out or Rocky bark. She most likely went to the toilet and Ellery had a distorted perception of time. They’d be back any minute.

  What if they’re not?

  Well, then she’d cross that bridge when she came to it. For now, she’d be better waiting here. She couldn’t do much good crashing about in the dark.

  There’s another torch in Loveday’s bag.

  If they weren’t back soon, maybe she’d get it and go outside.

  What if it’s too late by then?

  Ellery made a fist and hit the ground. Why was she such a coward? Why couldn’t she just go outside and look for them?

  Surely she should have grown out of a stupid childhood fear by now?

  Before she could talk herself out of it, Ellery lunged for Loveday’s bag, startling Claude who looked up and narrowed his eyes at her. “Sorry, but I need to do this quick before I bottle it,” she told him.

  Ellery dug about in the bag until she felt cold plastic in her hand. She pulled out the torch and switched it on, satisfied it was working.

  Gingerly, Ellery pulled back the flap of the tent and leaned halfway out. She could feel the blood rushing in her ears and her heart was beating like she’d just been on a run.

  She shone the torch in the direction of the copse, hoping not to light Loveday up while she was in a compromising position. Ellery almost smiled at that.

  “Loveday,” she called again. Still no reply.

  Ellery took a deep breath and came most of the way out of the tent. She could just about make out the first few trees before the darkness seemed to suck the rest in out of sight.

  “Come on,” she told herself, “you can do this.” Ellery wiped away the sweat which beaded on her forehead—strange, because it wasn’t warm—and took several steps towards the copse of trees.

  Her heart threatened to beat itself out of her chest, and the torch shook in her hand so much she thought she might drop it. And be plunged into total darkness. Great.

  As she was about to head in, something lithe and quick darted out of the trees and ran straight towards her. Ellery screamed.

  * * *

  Terry could hear banging in the kitchen, like pots and pans falling to the floor. What the bloody hell was Shirley up to? If he didn’t feel so sick he’d get up and hit her with damn things.

  Terry discovered his lips were stuck to his teeth and his mouth tasted like sandpaper. Must have been quite a night if he was feeling this way. A brass band had taken up residence right at the front of his head. Fuck, even the roots of his teeth ached. How much did he have to drink?

  It hit him all at once then. Shirley, little Terry, and his grandson all gone. Just him left behind. Terry groaned and struggled to sit up.

  That was right. He was in the pub. With that girl—what was her name? Dani. Yeah, Dani. Probably a lesbian, but she didn’t whine and she stayed out of Terry’s way.

  Terry didn’t know what day it was. All he knew was that his attempts to drink himself to death had so far failed. Although if the girl kept up the banging, someone was going to be dying, and soon.

  “Will you shut the fuck up!” Terry roared and immediately regretted it. His eyeballs tried to jump out of his head, and he started heaving. Before he could stop himself, Terry had puked all over his own lap and across the pub table. Tendrils of long, ropey spit hung from his lips as he panted and gulped and tried to calm his gut down.

  Finally in control of himself, Terry heaved himself up from the table and promptly fell to the ground. He blacked out.

  * * *

  Terry looked down. A huge boat squatted before him like something out of a sci-fi film, a stark white against the grey churning sea and the darkening sky. He stood at the edge of a cliff, buffeted by a bitter wind. Beside him was his son. Terry knew it was a dream because Little Terry wasn’t more than eight years old. He was wearing his school football kit but didn’t look cold. When he first got it, he wanted to wear it to bed.

  Little Terry nodded towards the boat. “They’re waiting for me, Dad. I need to get on board now.”

  Terry gripped his son’s hand tighter, as something swelled and ached in his throat. “No, son. You need to stay with me. Please don’t go.”

  “It’s okay, Dad. You can come too.” Little Terry looked up at him and smiled. His two front teeth were missing and Terry remembered the day he knocked them out when he fell off his new bike. He hadn’t cried.

  “I can’t, son. I didn’t disappear, so I can’t come with you.”

  Little Terry grinned. “But you can. Rosemary said you can. Rosemary Decker. All you have to do is one thing. One tiny little thing and you can be with me forever.”

  Terry felt a spark of hope catch inside him. It was stupid. This was a dream. Just a stupid fucking dream that didn’t mean anything except he’d drunk himself into oblivion again.

  Even so, he found himself asking, “What? What do I have to do, son?”

  “Bring the girl Dani with you. Rosemary wants her.”

  “What for?”

  Little Terry’s face darkened and he stepped away. “She’s a bitch, Dad. She’s not to be trusted. She’s going to ruin everything.”

  “She’s just a girl.”

  Little Terry shook his head. There was something in his eyes. Something Terry hadn’t seen before, something sly and secretive.

  A horn sounded. It came from the boat.

  “That’s me. I have to go.”

  “Wait! Son, don’t go. Stay here with me. Forget about that fucking boat.”

  Little Terry shook his head and that look was still in his eyes. Terry’s hands became fists and he itched to knock it out of his son.

  “I can’t, Dad. It’s been decided. It’s the rebalancing.”

  “What the fuck are you on about?” Terry lunged for him, reached for his shirt, but Little Terry moved easily out of his reach. He didn’t look scared.

  The horn blared again and Terry swore it sounded impatient.

  “I have to go, Dad. If you ever want to see me again, head north. Bring the girl. It’s the only way.”

  Terry lunged for him again. The blackness rose inside him like a tidal wave, threatening to obliterate everything. “Don’t you dare. Don’t you dare get on that fucking boat. I forbid it. I fucking forbid it, you little bastard!”

  Little Terry continued to elude him. Every time Terry reached for him, his son moved further away, further towards the edge of the cliff, until he stepped back, then disappeared over the side.

  Terry screamed and dived for him. He brushed Little Terry’s shirt with his fingertips, and then his son was gone. Agony ripped through Terry, threatened to tear him apart. Not his son. Not his boy who he loved more than anything on earth.

  Terry looked towards the boat. The huge hulking thing was movin
g away. It cut through the water like it was softened butter and picked up speed. Terry rolled onto his back and looked up to the sky. The girl, Dani. She was the key to getting his son back. Head north. Wasn’t that what Little Terry had said? Head north and find Rosemary Decker.

  * * *

  When he came to, Dani was leaning over him and wiping at his face with a flannel or something similar.

  “What are you doing?” he croaked out. Terry noticed the girl’s eye looked a bit better. It was still swollen and raw looking, but it did look better. “How long was I out?”

  “You’ve been in and out for a few days. You wake up, start drinking, and then pass out again. I stopped getting you booze this morning—not that there’s much left. I was worried you would die.”

  The girl’s concerned face almost made Terry laugh. Afraid he might die? Didn’t the little twit know he was trying to kill himself?

  Terry pushed the flannel away and struggled into a sitting position. He waited while the urge to puke again passed and the world righted itself. He stared up at the girl who looked concerned. “Why do you care what happens to me? I haven’t exactly been nice to you.”

  Dani shrugged and glanced away. “I didn’t want to be left alone.”

  Terry didn’t know what to say to that. He supposed he could see the girl’s point, but he felt sorry for her if Terry was the only thing standing between her and being completely alone in the world.

  It was then he noticed the backpack resting neatly by the bar. He nodded at it. “Going somewhere?”

  Dani followed his gaze, then regarded Terry warily. “It’s those dreams. I can’t take it any more. It’s gotten so I can’t even sleep for more than an hour. Every time I do, I dream about heading north, and then I wake up. I decided I might as well do what it wants.”