The Givers of Life (Book 1): The Risen Dead by Davies Neil

Author:Davies, Neil [Davies, Neil]
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi
Tags: Horror | Dystopian | Zombies
Publisher: C&N Publications
Published: 2017-04-12T04:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER ELEVEN

Waiting

Annie checked on Mrs Jenna. The old lady was asleep, tucked up in the bed she and Geoff Hobsen had carried her to after the attack. The makeshift bandage covering the gash on Mrs Jenna's cheek was wrapped around her head. It made her injuries look worse than they were, but it was the only way Annie could find to hold the thing in place. Blood had already soaked through the layers of gauze to blossom as a crimson stain.

Annie felt nauseous and had barely stopped shaking. Her head ached with fear and confusion, and she was grateful that Mr Hobsen was there to sit her down on the bedside and make her a cup of tea. She wasn't sure she could have returned to the kitchen herself.

"It was him," she said, taking her first sip from the mug Mr Hobsen handed her.

"Are you sure? I mean, it sounds like everything happened pretty fast. Can you be certain?"

"Oh yes, I'm certain. I'll never forget..." She shuddered and paused, taking another sip of tea to calm herself down. "It was the same... thing!"

Thing. She wondered about that. He certainly seemed more creature than human, but he was undoubtedly a man of some kind. What was he exactly? She was not sure.

"That thing killed my father. Attacked me!"

And was shot point blank by John and yet survived, thought Geoff. I wish I knew what we were up against.

"So why didn't he attack you again tonight? If anything, it sounds like he saved you."

Annie said nothing for a moment, gathering her thoughts, trying to remember details from the recent attack, while her mind rebelled against the images, pushing to repress them.

"We were easy targets," she said finally. "I mean, Mrs Jenna was already out of it, and to be honest, I couldn't have fought him off. I was on the edge of letting that bastard with the gun..."

She broke down, tears dripping into her mug of tea, the faint plop, plop, loud against her quiet sobbing.

Geoff could think of nothing to say that didn't sound trite. He felt useless, unable to even hold her close, because that in itself felt wrong when he knew so little about her. And that was a sad fact, now that he thought about it. He really knew hardly anything about Annie, about Mrs Jenna, even about John, and he felt closer to John than to anyone. All those years living as neighbours, and yet it was only since The Incident that they had even talked, beyond polite conversation. It had taken a disaster to bring them together. The thought both annoyed and saddened him.

Feeling that he had to do something, despite the awkwardness he felt, he sat next to Annie and put his arm around her shoulders. She leaned into him, resting her head against his chest. He sighed with relief, that simple movement justifying the risk he felt he had taken.

"He might come back," said Annie through the last of her tears. "Once he's done whatever he's doing with the man he dragged off, he might come back for me.

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