Haunted Fields by Dan Moore

Author:Dan Moore
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: RowanVale Books

12

He galloped like a racehorse bearing down on the winning post. Glancing frequently over his shoulder he could see that Jess was keeping up with him, a constant dozen-or-so lengths back. As they left Ravenby-le-Wold’s cosy, well-kept cottages behind, the steep, twisting lanes passed by in a mad blur. A sharp incline on Freddie’s right blocked Ridge Farm from view.

‘Please! Please don’t be the farm!’ What had he done? He’d meant well. He’d tried his hardest, put his own sweat and tears into the place. He cared about the farm, and about the family. He felt a part of their life.

He neared the summit He could hear Jess’s footsteps on the road behind him, pleas mirroring his own silent ones reaching his ears. Tarmac flew by under his feet, a dark path leading him to the beast. Yet he didn’t seem to be getting any closer. Time had slowed to a painful crawl, and for no other reason than to prolong their suffering.

Suddenly his senses awoke. A cruel spitting sound sought him out. Smoke tickled his nostrils. The glow reflected in the clouds forced his hands up to shield his eyes. He didn’t want to see. He didn’t want to know. Yet he had to. The family needed him. He prayed that flames were licking their way up the side of a building on one of the neighbouring farms. He prayed for Ridge Farm to be spared. Guilt consumed him. He should’ve listened. He should’ve left when instructed. First the note, then the brick – now what? He’d soon find out, the hillside reaching a plateau.

He rounded the corner, his eyes locking on to the dragon’s breath. Even from here he could feel the intensity of the blaze. Beautiful, yet utterly destructive. He stopped, rocking as Jess crashed into him, collapsing. He held her shaking body, cradling her warm head. Her cries, barely audible over the roaring inferno, cleared his mind.

He retrieved his mobile with his free hand, the flames licking higher and higher, devouring the straw. The old barn creaked, letting out a groan, threatening to break under the searing heat. His mouth fell open as a support leg collapsed inwards, falling through the fire with a hiss, before bouncing from the stack, landing with a thud. Suddenly the bales disappeared, a great sea of sparks blown into the night sky. Riding on the breeze, the sparks drifted over the hillside and out across the plains.

Something gave way inside him. He felt as if he would collapse in on himself, just as the steel support had done moments before. It‘s my fault! He half-expected to find a vulture circling above, waiting to pick at what remained of him.

‘Call them,’ Jess bellowed. ‘Call the fire brigade.’

She pushed her face further into his shoulder. He tapped the three digit number into his mobile.

‘Fire!’

How can the operator be so calm? Come on! Come on! Hurry! He rushed through the address. He knew he could do nothing now. He couldn’t fight fire. He

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