The Living Dead (Book 1): Contagion (16 page)

            “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?”