Part 17 (1/2)

With the weight of the gun in her hand giving her courage, Alice went back down the stairs in pursuit of the Dead, determined to stop them before anyone else could fall victim to their unnatural appet.i.tes.

Ignorant of the b.l.o.o.d.y carnage happening at the Convent, Charlie and Liz were just pulling up to Jackson's converted school house. Liz checked through the spy holes that all was clear, before she jumped down from the cart. Walking over to the basket of b.a.l.l.s she selected a bright yellow plastic ball and threw it over the fence into Jackson's domain. Almost instantly she heard the playful yapping of the puppy Jackson had taken in and obviously from the sound the dog was making, Toby's training was going well.

*Alright, alright. I heard you boy. Good boy, good Toby,' Liz could hear Jackson just the other side of the wall of doors, praising the puppy for alerting him of visitors. Once the puppy had calmed down a bit Jackson called over the fence to them.

*Who's there? Who is it?'

*It's Liz and Charlie, Mr Jackson,' Liz replied. *Charlie needs to let you know what's been going on'

*Why can't they just leave us alone, hey Toby?' Liz heard Mr Jackson saying quietly to the dog.

Thinking it may have been a wasted journey, Liz began to turn back to the cart, but stopped abruptly in her tracks. Standing not three meters away was the large matted form of the Golden Retriever they had encountered already twice before. Moving slowly, so as not to provoke an attack, Liz slowly reached her arm behind her to grip the handle of her sword. With a barely detectable click, the blade came free of its sheath but as if somehow knowing her intent, the dog began to growl menacingly. As she brought her sword forward, preparing to strike should the beast go for her, the dog's growling intensified. It then began barking wildly at her and with saliva dripping from its teeth, she was sure the dog was about to spring at her. Even then, Liz didn't want to be forced to kill the poor creature. But quicker than she thought the animal capable of, the dog darted forward. She automatically lifted her bladed, readying herself to strike.

*No Liz!' Charlie shouted from the cart beside her, startling her just long enough for the dog to speed past her.

Stunned, Liz turned quickly to see the dog leap up at a Dead woman who had approach her undetected from behind. With a flurry of matted fur and Dead limbs, the woman went down. Charlie had already jumped out of the cart and with his most authoritative voice he yelled, *Heel, Girl. Heel!'

Reluctantly the dog let go of the Dead woman's shoulder, trotted over to Charlie and sat down. Charlie reached down to pat its filthy fur all the while the dog continued its growling at the Dead woman, who was trying to get up.

*Jesus Charlie, how did you know?' Liz said, slightly shocked he had been able to control the wild dog.

*Just a guess I suppose, I...' Charlie stopped what he was saying mid-sentence.

Liz puzzled, followed his line of sight to the Dead woman and instantly realised what had caught his attention. The Dead woman on the floor was still having difficulty getting herself back to a standing position. Her arms had been tied to her sides but that was not what concerned them and neither was the gag that had been rammed in her mouth. The thing that shocked them both, was that her belly had been sliced viciously open, revealing the ruined and ragged edges of her torn womb. Whoever had done this to her had taken no care in removing what they wanted from the woman. The Dead woman, or rather the Dead version of Emma O'Brien, for that was who it had once been, had a sad and almost haunted look on her face. If Liz ever wondered if the Dead remembered their past lives, it was now. The look on Emma's face clearly showed the pain and loss any mother would feel having a child taken from them, let alone physically ripped from their body like this.

*Dear G.o.d Charlie!' Liz said, covering her mouth. *Why Charlie? Why would anyone do that?'

*G.o.d knows?' Charlie replied, scratching his beard. *And how the f.u.c.k did she get all the way here?'

In a flash Liz, remembered a Dead thing, backlit by a lightning strike, struggling to get up from the road. She had a.s.sumed the Reverend's cart had ran into the body but what if in fact the body had been pushed from the cart. They had a Dead woman minus one baby and an unknown couple with a baby. It sort of made sense, but why? After she had explained what she had seen to Charlie, a look of horrified realisation took over his face.

*f.u.c.k!' Charlie shouted, making the dog at his feet jump slightly. *Finish her Liz and hurry. I've been a f.u.c.king idiot, I just hope we're not too late!'

Confused, but sensing Charlie's urgency, Liz leapt forward with her blade high. In seconds Emma's body crumpled back to the floor still and lifeless. Charlie jumped back into the cart, holding the hatch open briefly for the dog.

*In!' he shouted and the dog did as she was told, landing beside Charlie on the front seat.

Liz had barely managed to close her own hatch, before Charlie flicked Samson's reigns forcing the horse into a canter.

*What? what is it, Charlie?' Liz asked. *Surely the Reverend and Ruth will be gone by now? We'll never find them.'

*That's not what I'm worried about,' Charlie said, swerving Samson round a pothole. *I asked Justin what the Reverend had said to him last night, because whatever Justin had said back surely p.i.s.sed off the good Reverend, big time.'

*I don't understand,' Liz said, *what does Justin have to do with it? And what did he say?'

*Ten,' Charlie replied, *he said he was ten. The Reverend had asked him how old he was.'

*Erm.. I still don't get it' Liz said, wis.h.i.+ng he would get to the point *Well, think about it. Over the last few days we've had attacks where a pregnant woman and children have gone missing. All of the children missing, Williams nephew, the Penhaligan boy but not his eight year old sister and now Emma's baby, they all have one thing in common.'

*They're all under seven aren't they?' Liz said, a sickening feeling coming over her.*Justin and Naomi Penhaligan were too old to be useful to them... and everyone not useful, they slaughtered. G.o.d Charlie! Do you think they've hurt anyone at Lanherrne?'

*Let's pray they've just taken her without killing everyone else,' Charlie said, a grim look in his eyes.

*Taken who? What are you talking about?' Liz asked and then it hit her. *Oh my G.o.d! Anne!.... They think Anne is under seven don't they.'

*Yep, probably. I asked her this morning if the Reverend or Ruth had asked how old she was. She said no. They probably took one look at her tiny frame and didn't think there was a chance in h.e.l.l she was born even a few months too early for them,' he replied.

*And just what do they want the children for?' Liz asked, dreading what Charlie was going to say.

*Who knows, but from the way they talk I think they consider anyone born before the Dead came is somehow tainted by sin. So in their eyes, these children are pure, unspoilt, I suppose,' he replied, flicking the reins again, forcing Samson to travel dangerously fast along the cracked road surface.

*Right. So they want her for something, so they won't kill her, that's what we've got to hold onto until we get her back. They want her but we're going to get her back,' Liz said, over and over again, trying to convince herself it was going to be alright.

Though, even if she searched the rest of her life she may never see her sister again and deep down she knew it.

*Let's see what we have to deal with at the Convent first, then we'll get her back I promise, Liz. I promise...' Charlie said, turning her face towards him and repeating it as he looked into her tear filled eyes, *I promise.'

And she knew he meant it, they would get Anne back.

When he had first heard the screams, Lars had pulled an unhelpful Penny into a small cupboard on the ground floor. Thankfully this cupboard, like many in Lanherne had a bolt on the inside, thanks to Charlie who had thought it a good idea. At this precise moment, Lars certainly agreed with him. At the sound of the first gun shot, Penny had started to hyperventilate, her shaking body giving over to the panic she was feeling. When the second shot echoed through the hallway, Penny went into overdrive. Even with Lars holding her tightly, and trying to calm her, her terrified whimpers soon developed into an uncontrollable wailing sound. In his desperation Lars contemplated somehow knocking the girl out but with his mangled arthritic hands he doubted he would have the necessary power. Deciding instead to hold a balled up rag over her mouth to m.u.f.fle her crying, he prayed the sound wouldn't attract the Dead. But his prayers had clearly gone unanswered, when the tragic corpse of Adrian came running down the corridor drawn to the sound of the living.

Skidding to a halt outside the cupboard door, Adrian's corpse knew that what he so desperately needed was just the other side of the thin wood. Smas.h.i.+ng his fists over and over against the panelled door, it was a close thing which would fall to pieces first, the door or his hands. Already, the flesh on many of his now broken fingers had split, exposing more ragged flesh and bone with each pounding. As the skin over his knuckles tore, revealing the bone and cartilage beneath, a panel of the door finally cracked. Seeing this, added even more urgency to his frenzied attack, and he began to tear at the sides of thin split in the wood, losing what few finger nails he had left. The shards of wood piercing his bloodied palms and fingers went unnoticed, getting to the live flesh was the only thing his Dead mind was concerned with. With a cracking noise, the rest of the panel suddenly gave way, allowing his shredded and mangled hands to reach through to the terrified occupants. Penny's uncontrollable screaming was constant now and somewhere in the back of Lars mind, he wondered if she was doing permanent damage to her vocal chords. Battering away the b.l.o.o.d.y Dead hands with little more than an old metal dustpan, Lars knew sooner or later the rest of the door would give way and that would be the end of it. He knew it was time to do something drastic. So as Adrian tried frantically to get a handhold on the living just out of his reach, Lars decided it was time to go on the offensive and grabbed one of the b.l.o.o.d.y hands as it came towards him. With all his strength he pulled the arm further into the cupboard and then with a fast motion he yanked the limb downwards, wedging the flesh onto the wooden shards. Knowing this would only hold the Dead thing for a few seconds, Lars quickly slid the bolt across before he grabbed Adrian's other hand. With Adrian now temporarily held in place, Lars pushed against the door with a strength born purely of fear and adrenalin.

*Run Penny! Run!' Lars screamed to the hysterical girl, once the door was half open.

Unable to comprehend an escape pa.s.sed the Dead man clawing for her flesh, Penny continued to cower at the back the cupboard, fear blinding her to her only chance to live. Realising Penny wouldn't be able to move on her own, Lars let go of one of Adrian's hands momentarily so he could pull Penny to the open door. Even though she struggled like a trapped animal, Lars managed to thrust her through the open doorway. Falling to her knees, Penny looked up at the Dead man now focusing all his attention on her and began to kick her legs, trying to push herself away from him.

*Penny, for f.u.c.ks sake! Just get up and run!... Run!' Lars shouted at Penny, knowing he couldn't hold onto Adrian's arm much longer.

Something in the way he had shouted or perhaps the language he used, must have penetrated through her hysteria, her screaming stopped abruptly and she looked at Lars, with something close to shock on her face. She then pushed herself to her feet, turned and ran. At that moment, Lars lost his hold on the remaining Dead arm and Adrian was free. Choosing to go for the closest meal, Adrian threw open the door and made a grab for Lars, knocking him to the cupboard floor. Locked in a life and death struggle, Lars tried to keep Adrian's hungry mouth from him by pus.h.i.+ng his own deformed hands beneath Adrian's chin. Feeling what little strength he had left slowly evaporating, he knew it wouldn't be long before the snapping teeth tore into his flesh. Then, suddenly, Adrian was jerked violently backwards, putting a small, but welcome distance between Lars and the Dead man's teeth. Glancing quickly over Adrian's shoulder, Lars couldn't believe his eyes. Standing behind Adrian, a determined look on her face was Penny. She had grabbed hold of the back of Adrian's jacket and was clearly straining to pull him away from Lars. As valiant as her effort was to save her teacher, Penny just didn't have the physical strength to prevent Adrian eventually reaching his prize. Penny's tear filled eyes briefly locked with Lars' and something pa.s.sed between them. Somehow Penny had clawed her way through her fantasy world back to the horrific truth of reality, only to fail the man who had cared for her for the last seven years. As Penny's grip on Adrian weakened, Lars knew his time had come. With one last buck from Adrian, Penny lost her grip, falling backwards against the opposite wall. Now free, Adrian paused for all but a millisecond before pouncing on Lars'. This infinitely small pause was all that was need though, and with the sound of a single gunshot, Adrian's head exploded sideways. With a rumble of footsteps, Alice appeared by Lars' side, pus.h.i.+ng the p.r.o.ne body of Adrian off of him.

*My G.o.d Lars, are you ok? Did he bite you?' Alice said, turning Lars' hands over in hers to check for bite marks.

*I'm fine, a bit shook up but fine...Pen...' Lars' words were cut short as Penny threw herself at him, knocking Alice out of the way.

*I couldn't come back, I just couldn't come back, but I had to, for you Sir, for you,' Penny said, as she clung to Lars, weeping into his chest.

*Penny?' Alice said, shocked that the girl was showing signs of being mentally present.

*Yes, erm..sorry, I don't know who you are...?' Penny said looking over to Alice, a look of confusion mixing with her tears.

*Alice, it's Alice,' she replied, taking a quick look up and down the hallway. *Look, you two need to find somewhere safe to wait this mess out. Come on, follow me.'

Alice led Lars and Penny back up the staircase to the sleeping cells. After tapping on Justin's door a few times, he eventually opened up revealing a tear streaked face, red and puffy.

*Justin, Lars and Penny will keep you company for a while,' she said cupping his chin in her hands. *Nicky and Richard are still out in the fields with some of the others but they must have heard the gunshots by now. So, this will soon be over. Just keep quiet and still and you'll be safe, ok?'