Six Days With The Dead Part 12

*You know, I think sister Rebecca should make up one of the cake mixes when we get back, I can't wait to see Anne's face when she first tastes chocolate cake,' Charlie chuckled to himself.

Finding the old world food, not to mention the precious medical supplies, had lifted their spirits. The gloom that had descended on those in the cart since leaving Cawsands Bay had evaporated, to be replaced with a growing need to be among those they cared about as soon as possible. They needed to feel the safety that living behind the high convent walls gave them. There, they could shut out the horrors of the real world, if only for an instant. All those inside knew the little world they had created for themselves was nothing more than a happy illusion. An illusion that would shatter the moment they climbed up on to the walkway to see the world beyond, but it was an illusion they all needed. You just could not live your whole life with adrenalin pumping through your veins, always looking over your shoulder in case a walking corpse had found you. So with each corner they pa.s.sed, and with each lane they travelled, the excitement grew within them. They soon re-joined the blocked road on the other side and were back on track. The delay the fallen tree had cost them had been much outweighed by the booty their detour had provided.

*Sometimes what he takes with one hand he gives with another,' Imran said once they were going in the correct direction again. *We never would have found that ambulance if the way hadn't been blocked.'

*My Man, the philosopher,' Liz said to herself smiling, as she kept an eye on the pa.s.sing countryside.

*Well, there's more to me than my stunning good looks and s.e.xual prowess,' he said turning his head in profile, striking a pose.

At that precise moment Ratbag chose to release her bladder.

Laughing, Liz said, *one if you is taking the p.i.s.s, hard to tell which though.'

*Very funny,' Imran said, returning to look out of an eye hole, a fake sulky look on his face.

For the next few miles, Liz and Imran exchanged friendly insults and jibes. The type of insults that could only come from someone that loved you and knew was loved in return. No malice or hidden meaning was inferred, it was more a way to pa.s.s the time and with each hour that pa.s.sed, the convent became just that bit closer. The morning soon became afternoon, as the miles pa.s.sed beneath them without incident or any sign of the Dead. Occasionally, they heard the distant barking of dogs, echoing through the countryside as they gave chase to a meal. They would never know if their quarry had screamed as the pack descended upon it or just let out a Dead moan. Liz prayed the scene they had witnessed in the field was not being replayed again, and somewhere a living person wasn't fighting for their life against a hungry pack. But the barking soon faded to be replaced by the call of the birds and the slow, rhythmic creaking of the cart as Delilah pulled them home.

As the afternoon wore on the sky ahead began to darken as the angry clouds, creeping across the sky from the west, forewarned of the heavy downpour to come.

*Hope we get back before that breaks,' Charlie said, glancing up at the block of slate grey coming their way, *but knowing our luck on this trip, I doubt it.'

They had just begun to pa.s.s a few dilapidated cottages when Liz recognised one of the small abandoned homes.

*I know where we are,' she said excitedly. *We're pulling into the village with the bus crashed on the village green. It's not that far to St Mawgan village, the Raven Inn, Jackson and then home.' Counting each signpost off on her fingers as she named them, Liz then grabbed Imran's shirt, pulling him roughly towards her to plant a kiss on his lips.

*Almost home,' she said, her mouth barely leaving his as her lips formed the words.

Sure enough, Delilah soon pulled them onto one of the small roads that ran along the side of the green, its crashed provincial school bus a testament to the unnatural horrors that had visited this quiet placed so many years ago. The dark slate clouds had caught up with them now, blanketing the whole sky with rumbling storm clouds. With the sun cut off by the thick cloud cover, the village was now bathed in a gloomy half-light. Colour seemed to vanish from the scene, as everything became painted in shades of dusty grey. Above their heads the clouds seem to roll and bubble, it would not be long before they could hold their torrent no longer.

*I don't think we're going to outrun this,' Imran said.

With hardly any light now coming into the cart, they sat in near darkness. To the west a low rumbling began, ominously increasing in volume as more and more of the heavy clouds collided into each other. Then without warning, there was a violent crash of thunder directly above them, followed immediately by another flash of lightening that streaked wild electricity across the sky. Startled by the sudden loud noise and light, Delilah reared up, neighing in fear as she bucked her head back and forth.

*Whoa girl, easy, easy...' Charlie said, trying to calm Delilah down before she bolted into a gallop.

If she did, the cart wheels would surely be damaged on the uneven broken road surface. Inside the cart, Delilah's motion knocked them back and forth. Stinky and Ratbag squealed angrily as they were buffeted around in their little crate, while Liz and Imran had to brace themselves against the sides of the cart. Then within a few seconds, the first few heavy drops. .h.i.t the ground, each throwing up a tiny cloud of dust in their wake as they landed. Soon the few became many and then the heavy rain was falling in such a deluge they could barely see a few metres ahead of themselves. Potholes quickly began to fill, while blocked and broken gutters on buildings sprayed collected water over paths and overgrown gardens alike. Falling in sheets, the heavy drops pounded noisily against the cart's roof and even began to drip through onto the occupants inside. Eventually Charlie managed to calm Delilah, though she still swung her head and stamped her hooves in annoyance. Finally, he managed to encourage her to move onward again and once more Liz was thankful for Delilah's temperament. Many a startled horse had broken free of its harness before, to gallop away leaving those in the cart stranded and in danger. She may have reared in fear at first but Liz knew Delilah trusted Charlie and his soothing tone had quickly calmed her down enough to be able to get back to work.

The dim light and the pouring rain were making it difficult for Charlie to determine which of the puddles were really the water filled potholes and on more than one occasion the cart leaned sharply to one side as a wheel dipped into one. At least at the pace they were moving this jarring motion was less likely to damage the wheel but it was a chance Charlie didn't like to take, especially so far from the Convent. Half an hour later, the storm still raged on. Above them, rain fell, thunder rumbled and the darkness was ripped apart by the arcs of lightning shooting across a blackened sky. At least they had left the small village green far behind them now and were one step closer to home. In her head Liz was mentally jumping through the visual landmarks they would pa.s.s on their way, ticking them off one by one as they came upon them. A particular car wreck on a corner, a twisted tree that looked like a screaming woman, the gate on a field with the faded painted letters *GG' on the cross bar, all were mentally ticked off her list as Delilah took them nearer and nearer to St Mawgan village.

An hour later and the downpour still hadn't let up, the rain a constant drumming on the cart roof, while above them the dark clouds rumbled. It would not be long before they reached the outskirts of St Mawgan and Liz was itching to get home.

*For G.o.d's sake,' Imran said, trying to position himself out from underneath a constant drip falling down his neck, *this is storm's bad one. Do you think the harvest in the fields will be ruined?'

*Sister Claire will have to take a look in the morning,' Charlie said. *The whole Convent may have to go out in the fields tomorrow if she says we have to salvage the grain and potato harvest before they rot.'

*Oh, that'll be fun,' Imran said sarcastically, *back breaking work, ankle deep in mud, can't wait.'

*Well, if we want to eat bread or have potatoes through the winter, we don't have much choice,' Liz said, as she absentmindedly scratched Stinky behind the ear.

Ratbag, who seemed to have now got used to her new human companions, tried to push Stinky out of the way to nuzzle at Liz's hand herself. Glancing down at the two piglets, now squabbling for her attention, Liz reached into the crate with her other hand to give Ratbag a scratch too. Now that she was leaning low over the crate her head was in line with one of the open spy holes. So, as she gave the piglets the scratching they craved, she watched the rain drenched scenery pa.s.s by. It was still quite dark outside and she couldn't see far, so when they pa.s.sed a small turning, she had to quickly move to another spy hole to make sure she had seen correctly.

*Stop!' she shouted grabbing the back of Charlie's jacket.

A swift tug on the reins and Delilah was brought to a halt.

*What? What is it?' Imran said, moving from eye hole to eye hole trying to see what she had seen.

*I saw a horse and cart down the last turning. They were sat there not moving, parked under a large tree' she replied, looking from Charlie to Imran.

*Sheltering from the rain or waiting in ambush?' Charlie said scratching his chin. *That's the question.'

*Well, we can back Delilah up to the turning. You and Liz check them out and I'll keep you covered from here,' Imran said, reaching for his bow. *Although, with this heavy rain, like at the Substation, I can't guarantee on my aim... but they won't know that.'

*Right, looks like we're about to get very wet very quickly,' Charlie said, as he opened one of the side hatches.

Jumping down to the road, he was drenched almost immediately. Taking Delilah by her bridle, he led her in a tight circle so they could go back the few metres to where the other road joined theirs. Once the cart was in position, Imran opened the top hatch to give fire cover for Liz and Charlie while they walked to the stationary strangers. Liz, giving up trying to wipe the dripping water from her face, concentrated on the vehicle in front of them. There was a strange sound coming from the cart but each time she thought she could identify it, the wind would howl past them, s.n.a.t.c.hing the sound away. Like their own, the cart was a basic box on wheels pulled by a horse. The poor beast looked like it was on its last legs. It stood forlornly with its head down, rain water dripping from its muzzle and mane. Unlike their own cart though, this one had some sort of strange decoration on its walls. Not until they got closer, could Liz see that nailed to the outside were strings of rosary beads and crucifixes in various sizes. They had seen this sort of thing before. People desperate to appease a harsh and angry G.o.d, would go to the extremes in their desire to show their faith. Many of these Zealots thought that the Dead were a test and all they had to do was keep the faith and they would survive this trial. But Liz had seen many a devout man soon lose his conviction when Dead teeth began to rip them to pieces and pull out their organs. G.o.d had never intervened in the fate of Man before, so why would he now. She never understood why these people thought it would be different this time, just because the Dead had come back.

*Hey! Anyone in there?' Charlie called, fighting against the sound of the wind and rain to be heard.

When nothing happened he looked at Liz and knowing that they may have to check that the cart wasn't filled with the Dead, she withdrew her blade from its sheath. As raindrops splashed off the metal of her blade they made a small *ping' sound. Standing there, with only the sound of the falling rain and odd rumble of thunder breaking the silence, the *pinging' from her sword added an eerie, almost magical accompaniment to this wild symphony of nature. Then she heard the strange sound again coming from inside the cart. This close to the source she recognised it immediately.

*Charlie there's a baby in there!' Liz said, *can't you hear it?'

Liz began to move forward eager to rescue this abandoned child.

*Liz wait!' Charlie said, reaching to pull her back.

But when she was within arm's reach of one the side hatches, it opened slowly to reveal the shadowy figure of a man. Liz held her sword high, ready for the Dead man to attack, but as the man moved she could see his dark eyes shining like wet coal. He was alive.

*There's no need for that, Miss, we are not tainted by the d.a.m.ned,' he said, as he leaned forward so Liz could see him clearly.

The man was in his late forties, clean shaven and had short dark hair, greying at the temples. Like many people his face showed the signs of one too many missed meals, so his slightly gaunt look accentuated his high cheek bones and strong Roman nose. He wore a stained black shirt with his sleeves rolled up showing taut muscular arms. His white dog-collar was grimy and in its frayed state, it had obviously seen better days. Even though he had his hands clearly in view with his palms facing upwards calmly, there was something about this man she did not trust. Something about the way his smile did not extend to his dark glinting eyes that made her hands itch.

*I heard a baby,' Liz said, trying to shield her eyes from the rain with her empty hand. *Is everything ok?'

*Thank you for your concern young Miss, I am the Reverend Nathan Moore and I'm travelling with my wife, Ruth. She gave birth just yesterday to a fine boy. He's a little vocal I'm afraid,' he replied, toying with a silver crucifix hanging about his neck.

All the while he spoke his eyes kept flicking over at Charlie standing behind Liz and she found it a little disconcerting.

*Nice to meet you, Sir, I'm Elizabeth and this is Sergeant Charles Philips. And how is your wife now? Giving birth on the road couldn't have been easy,' she asked, trying to keep the Reverend's attention on her.

*Yes, she is fine, the child was born with no difficulties. Ruth was a nurse before our Heavenly Father pa.s.sed his judgement upon the sinful,' he said raising his eyes momentarily to the stormy clouds above.

Liz a.s.sumed he meant when the Dead came back but didn't question him on his beliefs. In her experience, engaging these types of people in anything approaching a rational conversation was pointless, they were unable to conceive anything beyond the world they had constructed for themselves.

*It must have been very dangerous for her to go through labour out here among the Dead,' Charlie said. *Your wife must be a very brave woman, Reverend.'

*The Lord looked down upon her and found her righteous in his eyes, the sinful did not see or hear her,' the Reverend replied, smiling while he stared at Charlie, almost willing him to question his reasoning.

*And can we see your wife and baby?' Liz asked, taking a step forward. *New life is such a precious thing in this world now.'

*No!' he snapped, quickly moving his hands to the sides of the hatch blocking her view *she is resting, you understand'

The smile slowly returning to his lips while he tilted his head to one side. Liz's eyes flicked to Charlie, something wasn't right here and they both knew it.

*It's alright Nathan, I will talk with the young lady,' came a voice from within the cart.

*As you wish Ruth,' turning his head slowly to look behind him, the Reverend nodded.

When a second face appeared at the hatch, Liz was taken aback by the contrast between the Reverend and his wife. As dark as his eyes were, hers were the colour of blue ice, sparkling and slightly wild, yet they held a kindness in them. Where his hair was black, hers was a very pale blond that reminded Liz of rich thick cream. The hunger they had both suffered, had left nothing but sharp angles on the Reverend's face but on Ruth it gave to her a delicate fragile quality.

*h.e.l.lo,' she said, smiling kindly extending a hand past her husband. *I'm Ruth, pleased to meet you.'

Shaking her delicate hand warmly, Liz noticed the rosary bead wound tightly about her thin wrist.

*So where are you from and what are you doing out here, if you don't mind me asking?' Charlie asked, still wary of the strangers.

Ruth's eyes flicked to Charlie and she slowly withdrew her hand from Liz's.

*We had to flee from our last home,' the Reverend said, his neck stiffening. *We were attacked by a Raiding party. But, G.o.d was merciful, he gave us safe pa.s.sage among the d.a.m.ned. Now though, we're a little at a loss as to where to go.'

There was a pause as Charlie looking from the Reverend to his wife, weighed things up in his mind. Letting just any stranger know about the convent was a dangerous thing to do. Their resources were not limitless and not everyone would fit into their *family'.

*Well you've been very lucky. Those raiders have wiped out two other settlements that we know of, women and children killed,' Charlie said, thinking of the ruined bodies of Louise Penhaligan and her daughter. *You'd best follow us. We live in a community in a Convent about two hours from here.'

He wasn't too happy about taking them back to the convent. Sometimes those with such strong religious convictions stirred up mixed feelings with people. The Sisters had accepted all into their home with a real Christian charity without feeling the need to preach or convert. But Charlie knew he couldn't just abandon them out here with only the divine for protection, not with the baby on board, it just wasn't in him.

*A Convent!' the Reverend said, a strange twinkling in his dark eyes. *A sign Ruth! Our Lord is giving us sanctuary in His house.'

The Reverend's wife crossed herself and kissed the crucifix about her neck, mumbling a prayer of thanks to herself.

*Well, that's settled then,' Liz said, *if you follow us, we'll be home soon.'

*May G.o.d shower his mercy upon you,' the Reverend said, smiling bowing his head slightly.

*I think I've had enough showers at the moment,' Liz said, meaning it as a joke about the rain but something undefinable flashed across the Reverends eyes, unnerving Liz a little.

It may have only been a trick of the light though because the look was gone and replaced with a smile almost immediately.

*So what do you think?' Liz asked Charlie, while they made their way back to the cart in the rain.

*Don't know if they're going to fit in, Liz. Folks like that are too busy seeing the evil in everybody to see the good.... Didn't have much time for their way of thinking before the Dead came and certainly don't now.'

*Hmm...' Liz said, thinking about the strange family they were letting into their home, though she knew ultimately they would be given the chance.

They had failed the O'Briens and perhaps through this family with their newborn, they could somehow make amends.

When they got back to the cart Imran was shaking the worst of the rain off himself.

*So?' he asked, ringing out his Kufie skullcap.

*Preacher, his wife and a baby,' Charlie said, gathering up Delilah's reins *they're coming with us.'

*Are they nice?' Imran said to Liz, while Charlie set Delilah back on their journey home.

*Erm, hard to tell. She seems alright, but they're very religious,' she replied. *Perhaps they'll relax a bit once they feel safer... who knows?'

Once they were on the road again Liz began to wipe dry her blade on a rag, removing all of the rain water. She could not afford rust spots to weaken the metal, her life, and those she loved depended on its integrity. Once she was satisfied it was perfectly clean and dry, she slid the blade home into its sheath. Every so often the thunder clouds above them would still crash into each other, sending down more rain, while the following lightning would flash across the sky. To Liz it soon became a natural background noise and with the gentle rhythmic drumming of the rain on the roof above her, she soon found herself fighting against drooping eyelids. Each time she found her head nodding forward she would force open her eyes again trying to stay awake. The last few days of being constantly on edge and having too little uninterrupted sleep had taken their toll on her. She could feel Imran's comforting presence next to her, his hand resting on her thigh.

*It's OK,' he whispered, softly stroking her leg, *you can take a nap, I'll wake you if anything happens.'

Moving his arm to sit around her shoulder, Imran pulled her a little closer to his body. Still resistant to the sleep her body craved, Liz tried in vain to stay awake but almost instantly her head was comfortably resting against his shoulder, her eyes beginning to close again.

*Are they still with us?' Charlie asked, snapping Liz awake.

*Oh, how long was I asleep?' She asked, rubbing her eyes and stifling a yawn.

*About an hour,' Imran replied, gently kissing the top of her head. *We're just about to pull into St Mawgan.'

*Great... ' Liz said, stretching as much as she could in the cramped confines of the cart.

*Well, are they still with us?' Charlie repeated. *They keep falling behind and I don't want to lose them at this turning.'

Liz looked through one of the spy holes in the back wall of the cart. Outside, what little daylight was left, was still obscured by the thick storm cloud cover. The rain still fell in thick heavy drops and as Liz watched the other cart come into view, thunder rumbled overhead.

*Yes, they're still there,' Liz said, watching the poor exhausted horse pull the Reverend and his family behind them.

Then a strike of lightning briefly lit up the sky with a flash and in that instant Liz saw the silhouetted shape of one of the Dead struggling to right itself on the road behind the Reverend's cart. They must have run into it and knocked it to the ground as they pa.s.sed by, it was obviously a Wanderer and must have stumbled onto the road through the roadside hedgerow.

*Good,' Charlie said, *here we are, Jackson's place coming up, nearly home.'

*Shouldn't we let him know about the raiders?' Liz asked.

Jackson may be a bit odd but she liked the old fool and wouldn't want anything to happen to him.

*I want to get back to the convent asap to make sure everything is ok first,' Charlie replied, as Delilah slowly pulled them past the fortified school building Jackson had made his home *I'll fill him in tomorrow and try to convince him to stay at the convent for a few days... just in case.

As they pa.s.sed Jackson's home, Liz knew that in just forty-five minutes they would reach the large fallen tree that blocked the direct route to the village from Lanherne, then after fifteen minutes on the long tree lined lane and they would be home. She knew that as soon as they pa.s.sed through the large double gates of the Convent, the adrenalin induced tension in her muscles would ease and for the first time in the last few days she could really relax.

By the time they reached the fallen tree the rain had reduced to a drizzle and the heavy clouds had started to disperse, revealing a star speckled evening sky. It was as if as they came closer to their home, all the wild horrors of the outside world had been left behind them. The walls of the Lanherne Convent seemed somehow blessed, keeping those within protected from the death and devastation that stalked across Cornwall, England and the rest of the world. Liz had often wondered what was happening in other countries. With the UK being an island, she hoped one day someone would finally find a way of eradicating all of the walking Dead. On the Continent though, the sheer numbers of the Dead were impossible to contemplate and she doubted if the majority of the globe would ever be reclaimed from its Dead masters.

When the Dead came to change the world, countries very soon became insular, so concerned with their own affairs, that they each forgot their Dead neighbours crossing the now pointless borders to feast on the living. Charlie had said that many had fled the large continents, seeking sanctuary on islands where the numbers of the Dead were more manageable. The Isle of White, Isle of Man and the Channel islands had become meccas to any who could get on a boat or plane. Inevitably though, these havens, swamped by refugees, soon succ.u.mbed to the Dead just like everywhere else. The remote islands off the Scottish coast had seemed like a better bet for many. But the remoteness and low population density that had originally been their attraction, in reality only meant limited resources and a slow drawn out starvation. There had been tales of remote islanders killing refugees, who fleeing the mainland, had washed up on their sh.o.r.es. It was even said that some island communities who had initially welcomed their visitors with open arms, ultimately turned on these weary outsiders with cannibalistic intent.

As Delilah began to pull them up the long tree line road to the convent, Liz opened the top hatch to view their home through the binoculars. As usual, the convent was nothing but a dark silhouette sat among the fields. Hiding themselves away from unwanted attention, torches would only be lit if they needed to deal with the Dead outside the walls. Even the smallest light would be a beacon, signalling to all who could see it, that the living had found refuge here. At this distance Liz could see the shadowy figures patrolling the perimeter walkway but was unable to identify who they were. Lowering the binoculars she whispered down to Charlie.

*Everything seems to be OK.'