Blind School (21 page)

No response.

‘
Jessica
!’

A desperate, heart-rending scream now which cut across the orchard and the fields beyond.

Ellis and Josh looked on pitifully, touched by the raw emotions of the scene as much as their sense of inadequacy, powerlessness. They’d done everything they could, but still it hadn’t been enough – they’d got there too late.
Abaddon
had won in the end: another for the bottomless pit.

‘
Jessica
!’ But amidst the flurry of the next few chest pumps and mouth-to-mouths, something in Jessica did finally stir.

A flicker in her eyes and sudden body-jolt followed by a cough. Then a succession of coughs and a deep retching gasp as she sucked in her first air. 

She coughed and gulped, coughed and gulped, her eyes flickering as she fought to focus.

Ryan gently stroked her cheek, but for a moment all she could see was the swirling terrifying image of
Abaddon
before it finally faded and she saw Ryan clearly.

She blinked and smiled uncertainly at him, and as he pulled her into a shuddering embrace, her own aftershock and wave of relief hit.

She hugged him back as the tears started to  stream, whispering softly:

‘No more secrets... no more secrets.’

As Jessica was taken away by medics in an ambulance with Ryan riding along with her, Ellis surveyed the scene.

The helicopter had headed away a moment ago, but more squad cars were arriving and the first of the forensic units.

More still would arrive over the following hours and he knew would be probably camped out on Lyle’s farm for days as they dug up and examined the other bodies.

Ellis looked bleakly towards the other seven cherry trees.

At times the battle made him feel weary, because he knew it was one they could never win; they could only stem the tide. The timeless battle of good against evil, yet the odds were stacked against them because only a small group could see that evil for what it was, what lay behind it.

Josh Eskovitz came alongside him and, as if reading his thoughts, commented, ‘We did our best.’

‘Yeah,’ he agreed; a weary monotone. He pulled his eyes from the cherry trees and started back towards his car, appearing a curiously isolated figure despite the crowd of police and forensics milling around. ‘We always do.’

THE END