‘You don’t look well today, my love. Are you eating enough? Maybe I’ll get you water. Hold on. I’ll be back in a second.’
Henry went to the kitchen, filled a glass, then returned.
‘Okay. Don’t drink it all now; you know how sometimes you suffer from indigestion?’ Henry lifted the glass to her jaw. He tilted it, touching the top of her head and slowly poured. The water leaked over her white nightdress and onto the bed. Henry looked down. ‘Have you wet yourself again, Evelyn? It’s happening so much now. I’m so sorry. It’s not a condition to be embarrassed about, okay? We all do it from time to time. I’ll get something from the chemist to help you. How does that sound?’ Henry placed his hands on her body.
He looked at her hands, the bony fingers. The skin was melting away. She still wore her wedding band. ‘When this is finished, Evelyn, we’ll dance. We can return to the things we love. I know you laugh at my clumsiness. I often stand on your feet. I don’t mean to; you always say I have a touch like an elephant. But you, you can dance. You do it effortlessly. Like a swan gliding across a pond. You have finesse, elegance. When the passengers have paid for what they’ve done, I’ll get you a red dress. I can drape it over your body. It’s always been your favourite colour. It brings out your face. Your eyes. Well, you don’t have eyes anymore, but what does that matter, my love?’
Henry stood, then kissed Evelyn on her forehead.
He walked out of the room and down the stairs, muttering, ‘These fuckers are going to pay.’
30
The Chase
They’d been moving for over half an hour. Ben leading, his family and the passengers close behind. Jack was struggling to walk with the injury he’d sustained and leant heavily on Lydia.
Mary was still demanding answers from Edward as to where her son was.
They hadn’t seen the light since they’d reached the end of the road and taken the turning which led away from the coach, the barn and the row of cottages. Ben checked his watch. It had gone midnight.
He doubted they’d see a car until they’d made it to the main road. He couldn’t recall, but he feared it was miles from where they were. He listened to the noises coming from behind. Everyone was struggling. It was cold. The passengers were tired, hungry. They were aided by the torch, but the light was becoming weak, and they had no more batteries. Ben kept the beam as low and as obscure as possible.
The caller was out there, and it would only be a matter of time before he caught up with them. They had to find help as quickly as possible.
Mary stopped suddenly. She was panting hard. Abigail went to help her, linking her arm.
‘I can manage myself. I’m not completely useless,’ Mary insisted.
Edward dropped back, helping his wife while Abigail took the hint and moved out of their way. He sniped, ‘How much longer do you insist on walking out here? This is bloody ludicrous. We should have stayed on the coach. At least it was a little warmer.’
Ben was at the front. He stopped and turned back to address Edward. ‘We need to keep walking until we find help.’
‘That could be hours. We’ll end up walking all bloody night.’
Ben took a deep breath. ‘We don’t have a choice. You know what will happen if he reaches us.’
Edward turned to his wife. He held her arm, steadying her. ‘Can you continue?’ he asked gently.
She forced a smile. Her eyes were blank, her face weary. She looked as if she wanted to drop to her knees and give up, lie on the road and stay put until the morning. ‘I’m so tired, but we need to keep moving. I understand that. It’s the only way we’ll get out of here. Ben is right. He’s trying to help us.’
‘Are you sure you can continue, Mary?’
The older woman’s legs buckled. She held on to her husband’s arms.
Ben moved towards her. ‘Has anyone got water?’
Lydia reached into a bumbag which she managed to grab from the coach. She held the water to Mary’s lips. She sipped a quarter of the small bottle, then gave it back to Lydia, thanking her.
Once she’d regained her composure and was able to stand by herself, Edward addressed the rest of the passengers. ‘We’re going back to the coach. Who’s with me?’
The rest of the group kept their heads down. They stayed silent. ‘Right. It looks like we’re on our own. Good luck to the lot of you. Have a nice life.’ Edward grabbed Mary and steered her back to where they’d just walked.
‘Edward, please don’t. It’s safer to keep going. I’m begging you to come with us,’ Ben said.
Mary was like a death row prisoner being led to her execution. She didn’t have the courage to go against her husband.
Edward let go of his wife’s frail body and turned on Ben. ‘You don’t call the shots. I know what I’m doing. If you want to be a hero, then it’s your funeral. We’re going back.’
Amid sighs from the others, Ben said, ‘The caller will go to the coach. That will be his first stop. For crying out loud, he could be a few feet away. You’re playing into his arms. Please. Don’t go back.’
‘We’ll take our chances,’ Edward confirmed as he and Mary set off back to the coach.
Ben turned to Abigail. ‘Are you coming with us?’
She smiled, then placed her hand on his face. ‘If you make it out of here and get help, make sure you send them for us. You’re a hero. Thanks for everything.’ Then she followed Edward and Mary. She tried to hold Mary’s hand, but the older woman pushed her arm away.
The three of them walked along the path and into the darkness. Soon they were out of sight.
The six that remained, huddled close. Ben could sense the fear from the others. He was struggling to keep the momentum going. They worried for their lives and had been through so much. He walked beside Laura and Milly.
‘Dad, I’m proud of you,’ Milly said.
He reached his arm to the side, holding Milly’s hand. ‘I’m proud of you too. You’re incredible. I watched how you were, with the passengers, how you looked after them. Lots of other girls your age would have cracked under the pressure, but not you.’
Laura was standing just behind. ‘I’ll second that. I think it’s definitely our good deed for the day, don’t you think?’
The three of them laughed. Ben said, ‘How are you holding up, Lydia?’
‘That cottage. I’ll never forget the things I saw in there.’ Lydia went on to describe the corpse and how the caller had kept a dead person in the upstairs bedroom.
An ice-cold chill rose through Ben’s body. ‘I’m sorry you had to deal with it. We’re going to get out of here, okay?’
Lydia smiled. ‘Okay.’
Suddenly a scream ripped across the fields. They all stood, alert.
‘What the hell?’ Stephen said.
‘Someone please, help. Help me.’
It went quiet.
‘It’s Mary. Shit. I have to go back.’
‘Ben, you’ll die if you go back. Please. Stay here.’ Laura grabbed his hands and held them tight, bringing them to her chest.
‘Dad, I’m scared.’