The demon inside, p.17
The Demon Inside, page 17
Shifting slightly, Hope curled one arm around Rory’s shoulders, leaning down to whisper in his ear, “Is this alright?”
Eyes wide, Rory nodded, licking his lips nervously before he croaked, “Yes.” Slowly, one of his arms went around her to settle his hand at her waist and the other lay tentatively on her knee; his gaze held hers all the while and when she didn’t protest he visibly relaxed. Meeting her sister’s gaze, Darcy quirked a brow, smiling slightly as Hope shrugged slightly in answer, her face colouring. Alec, on the other hand, didn’t seem quite so amused; he was tense beneath her, his hands gripping the arms of the chair. He definitely had the big brother role down pat.
Leaning back against him, she kissed his cheek and mouthed, “Relax,” before going back to looking around the small, welcoming kitchen, with its hand stitched tea-towels hanging from the oven handle.
Will took several minutes; they could hear him through the open door in another room down the hall, conversing with a faint, rasping female voice. “Well, let’s not dilly-dally, my boy, don want tae keep our guests waitin’.”
“Okay, Gran... wait, I’ll help you.”
“I may not be as spry as I used tae be, but I can still get outa bed on me own.” A minute later there was a soft trundle of wheels and a wheelchair, which looked far too big for the tiny old woman sat in it with a plaid blanket tucked around her legs, appeared in the doorway. Frail looking with thinning white hair and skin so thin it was almost transparent, revealing the veins and bones beneath it, her dark eyes were nonetheless alert in her wrinkled face, implying a sharp wit and keen mind despite her age and physical frailty. As if on cue they all stood respectfully, even Mac who sat skulking in the far corner.
“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Ma’am, thank you for inviting us in,” Darcy squeezed Alec’s hand as she spoke.
“It’s a pleasure, my dear,” the wrinkles around her eyes deepened as she smiled, “please, call me Granny Pat.”
“Granny,” Darcy couldn’t help but smile in response, “I’m Darcy...”
After all the introductions, Will poured the tea and handed the steaming mugs around. When he handed Callie hers she smiled up at him, before he took one over to his Gran and crouched in front of her wheelchair to curl her arthritis riddled fingers around it. Milk and sugar were on the table for them to serve themselves. It felt like eons since they’d had milk, a lifetime ago. Sloshing some into her own cup, she sighed in bliss at the warmth radiating from it as she leant to the side so that Alec could spoon sugar into his own tea and fish out the teabag with his fingers.
Taking a swig from his cup, Will leant back against the kitchen counter, his breath steaming as he asked, “Have you come across any other survivors?”
Swallowing her own mouthful, the boiling water searing her throat, Darcy told him about Rat, the homeless man they’d met briefly, before adding, “And there are more of our group back home.”
“More?” He echoed softly, his eyes wide with disbelief as he looked around the room at the other faces, as if to confirm with them the truth of her words. “How many of you are there?”
“Sixteen?” Alec said after a considering pause, counting on his fingers, before glancing at his dad for confirmation, but Mac simply shrugged.
“Sixteen,” Will parroted, lifting a hand to drag through his hair, “that’s amazing.”
Rory snorted, drawing all eyes to him. “You wouldn’t say that if you’d met them.”
They were all so absorbed in conversation that none of them noticed night falling outside the kitchen window until Granny Pat’s eyelids began to droop, her chin dropping heavily onto her chest as she nodded off. Taking the mug from her hands, still half full though it had long since gone cold, Will gently rubbed her knees through the blanket, calling softly, “Gran? Gran, wake up. Come on, I’ll take you to bed.” As he wheeled her away, Granny Pat bid them a weak goodnight over her shoulder and, as their hosts disappeared out into the hallway, all eyes turned to the blackened window. Alec cursed softly under his breath. Mac wasn’t quite so quiet.
“Your mum won’t like this,” Hope whispered to Rory, frowning slightly as she leant into him.
“No,” Rory agreed grimly, “she’s gunna go ape shit; she hates the fact that she can’t control everything, but it’s not like we have a choice. It’s dark and we’re hours away from home, plus the cars are still in the top field. It would be suicidal to leave now.” However, despite the logic, Darcy saw the worry in the boy’s eyes and couldn’t say she blamed him; Joanne Shard was a scary woman and she always seemed to be having a go at her son over something or other.
When Will walked back into the kitchen several minutes later, Alec asked, “Mind if we crash here tonight?” It was really only a courtesy question; the undertone was clear, they were staying whether the other man liked it or not.
Luckily, he answered, “‘Course not, you can’t leave now, it’s too late. We haven’t got much room, but the girls can bunk in my sister’s room and we’ve got two couches in the living room.”
“You have a sister?” Poppy enquired, tilting her head.
“Yes,” Will answered bluntly. Reading between the lines, Darcy opened her mouth to change the subject, but Poppy beat her to it. Unfortunately, the girl hadn’t caught on quite so fast.
“Where is she?” Poppy asked, completely oblivious. Jaw locking, Will looked away, staring blindly out of the window with his lips pressed tightly together. When it looked as if Poppy would speak again, Hope leant over and gave her a sharp poke in the ribs. Lips forming a quiet ‘O’, Poppy turned wounded brown eyes on Hope. Meeting the other girls gaze, her eyes widened with understanding as she read the message in Hope’s sky blue eyes.
“Oh,” she whispered softly, her face flushing bright scarlet as she looked back at Will, standing silent and alone. “I’m so sorry.”
Mutely, Will nodded in acceptance of the apology, clearing his throat before walking over to the door and jamming his feet into his scuffed work boots. “I just have to lock the chickens up.”
“Do you need any help with the other animals?” Alec asked.
“Nah,” he snapped open the rifle to check it was loaded, “the rest of the animals have shelters in the fields if it gets too cold so I don’t lock them in.” Guessing the next question, he continued, “The creatures don’t seem real interested in the livestock, they tend to pass them by, and we’ve only had one or two around here in all this time. My problem at the moment are the bloody foxes.”
Returning a little while later, Will showed Darcy, Callie, Hope and Poppy to his sister’s room. Across the door, brightly coloured letters spelled out the name ‘Lizzie’. Inside, the quaint wooden furniture was all painted white. Upon the small nightstand sat a book with a pink feather poking out to mark the page; she hadn’t even reached halfway, she had only just started. Beside the book stood a half empty glass of water and a bedazzled mobile phone. Standing in the doorway, looking over the perfectly preserved room with one hand clenched on the frame, Will hesitated to let them enter, his eyes roaming over the empty space.
Blowing out a breath, Darcy could see him forcing his shoulder to relax, before he stepped aside, “I’ll get you some more blankets; it gets quite cold around here at night.”
Nodding, she walked into the room with the others hot on her heels. “Thank you.”
When he came back with the armful of blankets he handed them to Callie, who was standing waiting near the door, whilst Darcy studied a framed photo she’d found propped up on the vanity, amid bottles of perfume, tubes of lipstick and other such paraphernalia. It depicted a teenage Will and a young girl standing either side of their Gran, who looked happy and healthy. The girl had curly, vibrant flame red hair and the brightest green eyes Darcy had ever seen.
“That’s Lizzie,” Will pointed out unnecessarily, taking the frame from her and rubbing his thumb reminiscently over the glass, “she had the most beautiful eyes. They danced with life. Now they’re blank.” Sympathy urged her to speak, but before she could say anything, he shook his head and blew out a breath, before placing the frame gently back on the vanity, facedown.
Striding to the door, he paused and turned back to them, saying bluntly, “Bathroom’s across the hall. Have a good night.”
Somehow, all four of them managed to squeeze onto the double bed, lying top to toe with Poppy and Hope at the bottom and she and Callie at the top, their legs all tangled together. Waiting until she was sure the younger two were asleep, their breathing deep and even, Darcy reached over to tap the back of Callie’s hand, which lay on the pillow between them, asking, “You like him, don’t you?”
“Will?”
Snorting, Darcy shifted closer, making out her friends features through the darkness, “Who else?”
Silence reigned for several long minutes, until Darcy thought her friend wouldn’t answer, but eventually Callie admitted quietly, “Yeah, I like him, but...” she hesitated, choosing her words carefully, “I don’t know if it’s because I actually do like him, or because he’s what’s left. I guess what I’m really saying is, would I fancy him under normal circumstances?”
Considering that, she asked, “Does it matter? You smiled at him today and I haven’t seen you smile in God knows how long. Does it really matter whether you would be attracted to him under normal circumstances, because these circumstances aren’t normal and I don’t think they’re going to change anytime soon.”
Silence once more. And then, “I suppose not.”
Eventually, they both drifted off to sleep, however, they could only have been asleep a couple of hours before they were awoken by a furious, animalistic scream from outside. Before she was even fully awake, before her brain had chance to process the sound that had intruded on her dreams, the blood had frozen in her veins. Beside her, Callie lay rigid and at the bottom of the bed the others stirred.
“Did you hear that?” She whispered into the darkness.
“Yes,” Callie’s voice hitched. Cool fingers curled around her ankle beneath the duvet and she jerked back, before realizing it was Hope whose nails dug into her skin.
The enraged noise came again, accompanied by a metallic clanging. Everything inside of her screamed at her to get out of bed and look out of the window, but her body refused to move. Inside the room everything was still, except for the rhythmic motion of their breathing, loud in the otherwise quiet house.
A noise from the hallway, the grate of a hinge and the squeak of floorboards, broke the terrified silence. They all flinched. Swallowing hurt, it felt as if her throat were lined with glass. Twisting around to face the door, the gentle creak of the mattress spring made her heart jump into her throat. Wetting her lips, she slowly pulled back the covers and eased from the bed, forcing her limbs to move through they felt like lead, her bare feet lowering to the frozen floorboards. As she padded across the room she thought she heard someone whisper her name. Sensing movement behind her, Darcy paused with her hand on the door handle, glancing over her shoulder to see Callie slipping from the bed, motioning for the others to stay put.
Once beside her, she nodded to the door. “Let’s do this.”
Together they crept out into the hall, pulling the door shut behind them. The house was pitch black and unfamiliar and they had to use the wall as a guide until they reached a door, leading into what she guessed was the living room. Meeting her friends gaze for courage, Darcy pulled in a deep breath; logically she knew it was probably only Alec or one of the others that they could hear moving around inside, but fear still clouded her brain. Peeking around the half open door, her terror immediately subsided as she recognised the three figures silhouetted by the moon as they stood in front of the window. The creatures howl, battling to be heard over the wailing wind, made her skin prickle with unease, through real fear eluded her now; Alec was here and he made her feel safe.
Stepping into the room, with Callie close behind her, she whispered his name and was confronted by a hail of gunfire. Bullets thudded into the wall in a messy line coming towards them. Both she and Callie screamed, scrambling back. Someone yelled and immediately the deafening gunfire stopped. When Darcy next chanced a look it was to see Mac holding Rory by the collar as Alec snatched the gun from him.
Giving the boy a shake, the older man snapped, “What the bloody hell are you doin’? You could have killed someone!” Pulling back the safety on the gun, Alec slapped it down on the coffee table, hurrying across the room towards her.
Cradling her face in his palms, he stooped down until he could look directly into her eyes, “You okay, baby?” Nodding wordlessly, she reached up to grip his wrist, turning her head slightly to look at Callie. Her mouth worked uselessly for a moment, before Alec took over for her and asked, “Callie, you alright?”
“Yeah, no more holes than usual.”
Snorting with amusement which bordered on hysteria, Darcy dropped her forehead against his chest, even as he turned to face Rory who was physically shaking, scrubbing his hand agitatedly through his unruly hair.
“What were you thinking?” Alec snarled, his face twisted in anger.
“I wasn’t thinking,” Rory flapped, “I panicked. I heard a noise and I panicked. I’m sorry. You said you’re okay, right? I didn’t hit you, did I?”
“No, no,” her throat croaked a little before she cleared it, “you didn’t hit us, we’re both fine.”
“Even so,” Mac said curtly, “that’s the last time we’re givin’ you a loaded gun.” Blushing, the boy hung his head and Darcy felt a twinge of sympathy for him, though the fact he had almost shot her tamped it down a bit.
The gunshots had brought the rest of the houses inhabitants running and a second later Hope came running up behind Callie, grabbing her arm as Poppy lingered uncertainly in the hallway. “What’s happening?”
At the same time, a sleepy voice called from down the hall, “W’a’s goin’ on?” A moment later, Will appeared, bleary eyed and hair on end, wearing only a pair of boxers and a wrinkled, hastily donned shirt. Obviously he’d only just woken. “I heard gunshots.”
“Rory decided to redecorate your front room,” Alec said wryly, stepping back to let him in and adding as an afterthought, “sorry.” Flicking on the light, causing them all to blink and squint against it, Will looked at the wall, his eyes widening as he took in the damage.
Whistling softly between his teeth, he glanced over at Rory and the kid ducked his head, blushing bright red as Will said, “You sure did a good job.”
“That’s the least of our problems,” Alec muttered, his eyes turning towards the window as that eerie, hair-raising scream sounded over the wind, “can’t you hear that?” Tilting his head, Will listened for a second and his face slowly paled, but not with fear...
Will looked guilty.
Mac saw it, too. “What’s going on, boy?” the older man demanded, his eyes cold and hard as he hefted his rifle threateningly, “What are you up to?”
Chapter Sixteen
“She’s my sister...”
“You’ve got one of those fucking things out there?”
“She’s secure...”
“Are you insane?”
“What were you thinking?”
“Where is it?”
“We need to kill it...”
“She’s my sister!”
“Not anymore. She’s one of them.”
“You can’t kill her.”
“Watch me.”
“I won’t let you.”
“Don’t get in my way, boy,” Mac snarled, grabbing Will violently by the front of the shirt.
“Enough.” The voice was frail, but hard as steel at the same time, non-negotiable. Turning to face the elderly woman standing in the living room doorway, a thick dressing gown tied over her ankle length night gown, everyone fell silent.
“Gran, go back to bed, everything’s alright. I can handle this.” However, the break in his voice belied his words, showing his distress.
“William Richard Mackenzie, I will not be ordered around in my own home.” The look in her eyes dared anyone to argue, “Now, sit down, all of you, and calm down.”
Slowly, grudgingly, they complied. Squeezing onto the two sagging couches, they watched silently as Granny Pat hobbled slowly over to the only armchair, with her grandson hovering anxiously over her. Lowering herself carefully onto the cushions, she accepted the quilt Will pulled from the back of the sofa and handed to her, spreading it over her knees before folding her hands in her lap and leaning back, as if she were about to serenely tell them a bedtime story.
“Now,” she began, “this is about my Elizabeth, isn’t it?”
Perched on the arm of the chair, Will looked down in surprise, “You know...? I thought...”
Patting his knee, she smiled softly at him. “Of course I knew. I practically raised you two troublemakers, you can’t pull the wool over my eyes that easily. Plus,” she snorted, shaking her head, “I may be goin’ deaf, but even I can hear the ruckus that girl makes every night.”
“Girl?” Mac repeated, sneering in disgust from where he remained standing by the window, “that’s not a girl, it’s not your granddaughter, it’s an animal and it’d kill us all and eat us for breakfast in a heartbeat.”
“She won’t get the chance, I told you, she’s secure. She’s locked in one of the horse trailers; the windows are covered with wire mesh and boarded up. The door is bolted and chained. The only way in or out is a hatch in the roof, which I use to feed her, and there’s no way she could reach it.”
“That’s fine ‘til it gets knocked over or something,” Alec snapped, before he was interrupted by his dad.
“You feed it?” Mac looked incredulous, “What, you got a bit of a Hansel and Gretel thing goin’ on? Lure them in, feed ‘em up and then throw ‘em to the cannibal in your backyard?”
“Of course not...”
“Were we next?”
“Shut up, Mac,” Callie snapped, glaring at him, “give him a chance to explain.”
“Explain what! He’s got a monster outside and he’s feedin’ it like a damn pet...”
