Reapers Mist: Third in the Reaper Trilogy by Justin Gowland (12 page)

“Maddie can you stay just outside of the doorway and cover our backs please. Mary you’ll be coming inside with me just remember when you fire the shotgun please make sure you’re not pointing it anywhere near me.” I said.

“Jay I have been watching Mary learn to shoot that thing and she is a good shot so don’t worry” Maddie said.

“No I’ll make sure I load your arse with buckshot the next time you ask that.” Mary said with a wink at Maddie.

“Ok but please both of you be careful.” I said

Maddie and Mary looked at each other then they just nodded. I moved to the edge of the doorway and quickly moved inside followed by Mary. I moved as quickly as I dared down the small passageway and Mary moved with me. Maddie took up her position at the door just in case we needed a quick way out and also to stop anything coming in after us. In front was an open door that from what I could see seemed to lead straight into the main chapel there was one other door on the left and it had ‘Clergy Only’ written on it in faded gold lettering. Dropping my rifle on to its sling I pulled my pistol from the holster on my hip. Pointing to one side of the door I told Mary I wanted her to stand there she moved and placed her back to the wall. Holding the pistol in my right hand I tried the door handle it was unlocked. Slowly turning the handle I opened the door and went in to find the room was a complete mess of clothing and paperwork were everywhere. The desk that I would have said stood in the center of the room had been tipped over. I looked over the desk to see a large pool of brown dry blood and what looked like a partially eaten arm. Mary had stayed at the door and not came into the room which I thought was a good idea on her part.

“What was on the other side of the desk?” She asked as I walked back to the door.

“Just some dried blood it looks like whoever was in here put up a fight in the end judging by the mess.”

“Do you think it was the priest?”

“No I found the priest the last time I came here. I didn’t get the chance to…”

It was then that we heard a weird sort of mewling sound coming from the chapel. I put my finger to my lips and slipped past Mary and headed for the chapel itself. Peeking in through the door I could see there were four Reapers bent over in the middle of the pews the noise was coming from them. Every time they made that noise it was accompanied with the sound of tearing flesh. Mary was stood looking down the passageway at Maddie. Tapping her lightly on the shoulder I pointed for her to stay where she was and I was going to move into the chapel. Moving slowly on the balls of my feet I moved to the end of the left hand set of pews and crouched down in front of them. Looking round the edge I could finally see what the Reapers were eating it was the Reaper that I had seen out in the graveyard. What the fuck was going on?

Slowly trying to make as little noise as possible I put my and they pistol on the floor and raised my rifle. Aiming at the center of the group I fired at them all my shots weren’t too good because I was just going to hose them down then finish them off later. I fired again and all four were down two were writhing around and the other two were still. Standing and taking my time to walk down the aisle the first Reaper had taken a round through his back and blew his heart and other organs back down the aisle toward the main doors. The second had taken two rounds one through his neck the other had blown half of his face off. The last two unlucky for them and because I was leaning round the pew at the time had taken a couple of rounds each in the stomach and they were busy bleeding out all over the floor. I left them to it and walked back to where Mary was stood and we both went to get Maddie. We left the same way that we had come in and moved round the back of the chapel.

We checked the last houses before the green and found nothing else so we waited for Rees and his team. We had been waiting about twenty minutes when I saw a shadow detach from the trees on the other side of the green and recognized Rees. We all meet in the middle of the green and I told Rees what I had seen in the chapel.

“Well that must be all of them then because we killed two that were hiding near the ruins.” Rees said.

“Did you notice anything different about them?” Maddie asked.

“Now that you mention it they were trying to hide when we caught them. The strange thing is they have always attacked before and it never matter how many of them there were or how many they were attacking.” He said looking puzzled.

“That and they have started to eat their own.” I said.

“That is a bit mental.” Marc said.

“Anyway come on let’s get back to the castle. Nothing left out here now.” Becky said walking back down the main road.

As she walked ahead and past the shop a gray blur erupted from a small alley. Before any of us could react there was a wide arc of blood and scream that will probably haunt my dreams for the rest of my life. The Reaper was sat on Becky’s’ chest clawing at her neck and face with its claws. A heart rending scream came from beside me and I saw Marc run past. He leapt at the Reaper and knocked it from Becky’s’ chest. The Reaper was launched a few feet from where Becky lay with Marc on top of it smashing his fists into its face. Maddie was the first to get to Becky and see if she could be saved, but I knew that it was going to be impossible because of the amount of blood that was pooling around her head. Marc was screaming and Rees was trying to pull him from the now dead Reaper. The black blood from the Reaper was splashed all over Marc’s chest and he was still trying to kill it.

Walking over in a daze I helped Rees to pull my brother away from the scene as we moved him away I quickly looked over at Maddie and she gave me a small shake of her head. Fucking great he had just found out he was going to be a dad and now it was gone and it only took a few seconds. As we pulled Marc away his body seemed to go slack in our arms and the tears and sobbing started from everyone. Mary was sat on the floor crying, Maddie had Becky’s’ head in her lap with her tears dropping on to Becky’s’ ruined face. Rees had hold of Marc and I could see the shock and emotion behind his ridged face. I felt so numb about it all and didn’t know what to say or do.

I mean Becky had been one of the first people we had meet since this all started. She stood up for people but also had an open ear for their problems and she was going to be a mum. She had just been talking with Maddie last night about how she was so looking forward to it and how much she loved Marc. But we needed to secure the area from any other hidden threats that might be lurking nearby.

“Rees let's move Marc over on to the pavement. We need to secure this area I think no one is in the right frame of mind at the minute.” I said

“Think you’re right I’ll check near the shop if you can do the other side.” He replied.

We gently lowered Marc to the ground and then went looking for things to kill and woe be tide anything that came for us. I did a sweep around the houses and nothing seemed to appear so I moved back to the rest of our group. Rees had got there before me and was laying a sheet over Becky’s’ fallen body. The question on my mind was why had the other Reapers not attacked when then saw us like the usually do but this particular one had jumped Becky when we were all there? Marc was on his knees with his head in his hands shaking with loud sobs. Maddie had moved out from under Becky’s’ head and was stood to one side holding Mary and they were both crying. Maddie’s’ jeans had a large circle of brown where Becky’s’ head had rested on her legs. Looking up I saw Rees waving me over slowly I walked over to him being careful not to step in the growing pool of blood.

“I’m going to go get the Land Rover and we can move her body back to the castle in it.” He said.

“Yeah that’s a good idea. We are going to have to move Marc into the back as well. If you take Mary and Maddie along with you mate. I’ll stay here with Marc and Becky.” I said feeling a large weight settle on my heart.

“Ok I’ll be back soon.” And with that said he went and got Maddie and Mary.

As Maddie walked past she put her hand on my back and I gave her a small smile. Maddie and Becky had become virtual sisters since this had all happened and they had looked out for each other and had told each other all those little secrets that women do.

Chapter Fifteen

How was I going to help Marc? He looked so small and crushed there on the pavement. As the others walked down the main road with Rees I hoped they would get to the castle safely. Walking slowly over to my brother I knelt down beside him and put an arm across his shoulders. We sat there for a few minutes as he cried himself out.

“I would have been a cool dad.” He whispered.

“Bud you would have been the best dad in the world even better than me.” I said.

“You know we were hoping it was going to be a girl?”

“No I didn’t. Maddie and I wanted so much for you both to be happy and have a healthy baby.”

“I know Maddie and Becky were talking baby clothes and stuff the other day. We talked about moving into one of the big rooms in the castle when the baby came.”

“What do you want to do?” I asked with a lump in my throat.

“I think if it is ok with everyone. Could we bury her in the courtyard garden?” He said looking up at me through puffy red eyes.

“I have not got any problem with it and I don’t think anyone else will.” I replied.

We sat there together looking at Becky’s’ body covered with the sheet. I heard the engine of the Land Rover before I could see it. Rees slowed and pulled up and I got up went over and opened the back door. Rees climbed out and we both walked over to lift Becky’s’ body when Marc shouted out “No please I’ll do it.”

We stopped and Marc walked over to pick her body up. Slowly walking with her weight he went to the back of the Land Rover to put her inside. I went to help him slide her in and Marc climbed up beside her and I closed the door. Marcs’ shotgun and Becky’s rifle lay were they had been dropped so I picked them up and climbed into the passenger seat. As we drove back to the castle I could here Marc speaking “I would have made you the happiest woman in the world. The baby would have wanted for nothing. It should have been me why did it have to be you? What am I going to do now? Why?”

The Land Rover stopped on the hard standing at the bottom of the steps. Everyone we had left in the castle had come outside to help with things. I got out and saw that everyone either had red eyes or were actually crying. Becky was the one of our group that held us together and losing her was going to hit everyone hard. Marc couldn’t seem to leave the Land Rover he just sat looking at Becky’s’ body covered in the sheet Rees had found. Her blood had started to bleed through the sheet making it stick to her face. His face showed no expression but he had stopped crying but was just unwilling to move from the rear seat.

“Marc we need to get her out of the Land Rover.” I said.

He mumbled something I couldn’t hear.

“What was that mate?” Rees asked.

“I said you don’t touch her any of you!” He screamed.

“Marc no one said they were going to touch her. If you want to move her on your own mate then it’s up to you ok.” Rees said.

He leaned over and slammed the back door.

I turned to look at everyone and said “If everyone can head back inside I’ll see if I can talk him round.”

Slowly people started to move back up the steps and into the castle. Rees hung back with Maddie and Mary.

“Are you going to be ok?” He asked.

“To be honest I don’t know. He had girlfriends before Becky but she was his first real love and the fact she was pregnant doesn’t make it any easier.” I replied.

Maddie came over and kissed me on the cheek and took Marys’ hand and they walked up the steps with Rees trailing behind. I sat on the bottom step and waited for Marc to be ready to come out of the Land Rover. Time seemed to pass even more slowly than any other day. As far as I could see, he must be feeling like his entire world had come to an end today. I sat on the step my mind constantly going over what had happened and what could have been done to stop this day from ever happening. As the images ran through my mind I couldn’t have seen it ending in any other way. Even if Rees or I managed to get a shot off the damage had been done with the Reapers first swipe of its claw. Now my mind changed to figuring out how to deal with Marc and how to get him through the next few days.

I heard footsteps coming down the steps behind me and I turned to see Maddie walking down toward me she carried a flask and a small bag. Sitting beside me on the steps she opened the bag and passed me some jam sandwiches then opened the flask and poured me a tea. I sat there eating the sandwich and drinking the tea when she got up and went over to the Land Rover. She opened the door and climbed in to sit next to him closing the door behind her. I could see her talking to Marc through the window after what seemed a lot of talking on her behalf. Marc broke down and started to cry again but this time he leaned into Maddie’s’ arms crying.