The Demon Inside, page 12
“Darcy! Darcy, wake up.” An urgent voice shattered her haze of agony. Forcing her eyes open, she gazed up at the face inches above hers in confusion for several seconds. Bolting upright, which forced Alec to jerk back to avoid a collision, she flung her arms around his neck and hugged him tightly before drawing back. Restlessly, her hands flitted over him, seeking reassurance in the warmth of his skin and the steady beat of his heart. Cupping his face, she pressed quick, reverent kisses against his lips, overwhelming gratitude filling her that he was alive.
“Easy, babe.” He captured both her hands in his, anchoring them to his chest as he looked down at her with concern, “Are you alright?” Nodding, she swallowed tightly and wet her lips.
“Bad dream,” her voice hitched in the middle and her lower lip trembled. Slowly, the overpowering relief that had flooded her at the sight of him began to ebb, until it was a raw, pulsing knot in the pit of her stomach, contained so that she could function once more. Glancing down, she shivered at the sight of her vest twisted awkwardly around her body and couldn’t help the compulsion to pull one of her hands away from his and run it over the smooth skin where the fatal slashes would have been.
“Do you want to tell me about it?” Alec asked softly, stroking the sweat damp hair back from her face.
“You died,” she whispered; even the words made her stomach pitch, as if to say it aloud was to doom them both, “and I was dying too. The pain was unbearable, but when I realized I was dying I was happy, because I’d be with you.” Taking a deep breath, she shuddered, huddling against his chest when he pulled her into his arms.
Face pressed into the crook of his neck, she admitted quietly, “I thought it was real. It felt so real. I don’t want to lose you.” Cupping the back of her head with one palm, he pressed a tender kiss into her hair.
“You won’t lose me,” his voice was soft but there was steel beneath it, a determined ferocity which warmed her to the very core, “I’ll never leave you alone.”
Neither of them slept the rest of the night, instead they simply lay wrapped around one another. Levering herself up on one elbow, Darcy used the tip of her middle finger to trace the dragon curling around his left bicep, its scales rippling as his muscles twitched under the gentle touch. Reaching the dragon’s head, nestled peacefully just beneath his collarbone, she trailed her hand down his chest, exploring the dips and grooves and paying special attention to the pale pink scars dissecting the expanse of skin. Leaning over, she lightly kissed all three before pulling back and looking down at him solemnly.
“What’s the matter?” Alec asked, reaching out to take her hand and tangle their fingers together.
“Nothing,” she answered honestly, tilting her head to the side.
“Then what’s your thoughtful face for?”
“I’m allowed to think aren’t I?” She mock scowled at him.
“Yes,” he folded his free arm casually beneath his head, “as long as you tell me what you’re thinking.”
“You don’t want much, do you?” Snorting, she shook her head even as her lips twitched in response to the grin which tugged at his lips. “If you must know,” she leant over until they were almost nose to nose, his hands rising instantly to clamp over her hips to steady her, “I was thinking how much I love you and I was wondering if I’ve told you recently.”
“You haven’t, but I forgive you.”
“Aren’t you generous?” Darcy teased, playfully rubbing her nose against his, nightmare forgotten.
“I know.” His smug tone made her laugh. In retaliation, he dug his fingertips into her ribs, tickling her mercilessly until she collapsed over his chest, begging for a reprieve. When he finally allowed her to twist away, she flopped onto her back beside him, breathing heavily as bursts of laughter continued to bubble up every few minutes until she was exhausted.
“I love you,” she gasped when her giggles subsided.
“I love you, too,” he returned, blindly reaching down to clasp her hand, “more than anything.”
The next morning the others found them both sitting in the conservatory, which came off the living room, watching out of the glass walls as Lucy raced across the sprawling, overgrown lawn, chasing away the last shadows of the night as the sun rose.
“So, do you guys want to stay here?” Alec asked, once both Hope and Callie were in the room.
“Well duh,” Hope rolled her eyes with a grin, “it has a Jacuzzi.” It was the first time Darcy had seen her sister genuinely happy in weeks, but even as it warmed her she felt a pang deep inside to remember the sociable, happy-go-lucky girl Hope had once been; the expression she wore now used to be a permanent accessory.
“Yeah,” Callie pitched in, “who passes up living in the lap of luxury? You would have to be crazy to want to leave.”
Glancing over at her for her input, Alec quirked an eyebrow questioningly. Meeting his gaze Darcy shrugged, her lips twitching up in amusement, “Looks like that’s settled then.”
“Okay,” he nodded, smiling back at her, “give it a few more hours and we’ll go get some supplies.”
Several hours later Alec, Darcy and Mac parked outside Sainsbury’s supermarket. Inside they hurried along the isles, cramming as much as they could into each of their trolleys; ranging from canned goods, sugary sweets which would last a while, assorted kinds of dog food and several large bones for Lucy. Having been appointed the task of gathering the essential toiletries, Darcy trolled the cosmetic section. When she was done, she struggled to turn the heaped trolley around to head back towards the others. The wheel of the trolley caught on the foot of a metal stand and the display tipped over with a crash, scattering boxed products across the floor. Swearing, a bad habit she’d picked up in the last few months, she stooped to pick them up.
“You alright?” Alec yelled.
“Yes,” she hollered back, “I knocked something over.” Picking up a box, she frowned, realizing that there really was no need to tidy up and stood back up, glancing down at the object in her hand. A box of condoms. Without really thinking she slipped it into her jacket pocket.
Leaving several minutes later without incident, though they had heard sounds from what appeared to be a storage room, they packed everything into the back of the van, leaving the trolleys in the car park alongside all the abandoned vehicles left with their doors gaping open. Happy with their haul, they sped back towards their new home, the CD player belting out a familiar song. Opening a bag of Skittles, Darcy tipped some into her hand and tossed them into her mouth, offering some to Alec as she chewed, savouring the burst of flavours. Keeping his eyes on the road, despite the fact it was deserted, Alec opened his mouth for her to feed him some. On her other side Mac made a sound of disgust and muttered something about his son being ‘pussy whipped’, but they both ignored him.
They had just pulled into their road and were almost upon the house they’d claimed as their own, when out of the window something caught her eye. In one of the gardens was a colourful metal play area, complete with a swing, slide and monkey bars. For a moment she thought she saw a child playing on the apparatus, but that was ridiculous. A flash of yellow caught her eye and she bolted upright, craning her neck to see out of the window. A little girl in a bright yellow dress ran across the manicured lawn towards the house.
“Hey!” Her sharp cry caused Alec to swerve, the tyres squealing as he looked around for the source of her alarm, but the child had already disappeared inside the huge house. “Pull over,” she demanded urgently, unsnapping her seatbelt and bracing a hand on the dashboard to steady herself as they rocked to an abrupt halt. “There was a child, a little girl. Right there...” she pointed to the house out of the passenger side window.
“I don’t see anythin’,” Mac said belligerently.
“She went into the house,” Darcy snapped back.
“Are you sure?” Alec’s question was softly voiced and he seemed to flinch away from the angry glare she shot him.
“Of course I’m sure! She went into the house.”
“Okay,” he held up his hands in surrender, but his tone remained faintly dubious, “let’s go take a look.” She scowled at him, secretly hurt that he didn’t have more faith in her.
Chapter Ten
Climbing over the wrought iron gates, they made their way up the drive and as they drew closer to the house Darcy felt anticipation rising inside of her until her entire body trembled. On the ground floor the curtains twitched and her heart leapt into her throat. Mac must have seen it too, because he paused mid-step, his face going slack with surprise. She barely resisted the urge to stick out her tongue and say “I told you so.”
“Hello,” Alec called, knocking before stepping back. All three of them stood expectantly waiting for a response. A blurred shadow passed briefly behind the glass panel. “Hello,” he called out again, once more rapping his knuckles against the door.
“We won’t hurt you,” Darcy added her voice to his, muttering to Mac under her breath, “the gun probably doesn’t help.” She and Alec had left theirs in the van.
“Best to be prepared,” Mac answered gruffly, his eyes watchful, though he did drop the barrel of the rifle to rest on the ground.
“We just want to talk to you. We didn’t realize there was anyone else around here; we haven’t seen anyone who wasn’t infected until now... I was starting to think we were the only ones left.” Slowly the shadow moved back into view and Darcy held her breath as it moved closer. The person on the other side hesitated with their hand outstretched, before they tentatively eased the door open. It opened as far as the chain latch would allow, the chain stretched taunt, and a face appeared in the gap. The diminutive brunette who looked out at them through hazel eyes appeared to be about Hope’s age.
“Hi!” Darcy’s excitement burst from her; only Alec’s hand on her arm prevented her from darting forward to embrace the girl. It was overwhelming to finally meet a fellow survivor. Even though she had known logically that they couldn’t be the only ones left it was fantastic to be proven right.
“Who are you?” The girl asked, her tone curious even as her eyes flickered warily over Mac and Alec.
“Oh, of course,” she gripped Alec’s hand in excitement, “I’m Darcy, this is my boyfriend Alec and his dad, Mac. My sister and friend are also over there,” she gestured vaguely over her shoulder, “what’s your name? Are you alone here, you and the little girl I saw?” For a moment the girls face paled and she fidgeted in place, but before she could utter a word the sudden wailing of a child could be heard from upstairs.
Glancing over her shoulder, the girl looked back at them, “Please, will you wait? I’ll be back.” There was barely time to nod before the door was once more shut on them.
“Well I’ll be damned...” Mac muttered, scrubbing a hand down his face – Darcy didn’t bother to point out that he probably already was.
Standing outside, they waited, silently listening to the child’s muffled cry. Once more the beige curtains twitched and they all watched as a little girl’s rounded face appeared in the corner of the frame. Waving, Darcy gave her a friendly smile. The curtain fell back into place. Glancing over at Alec, she squeezed his hand tightly. Suddenly, a click and whirr made them jerk around to face the front gates as they swung smoothly open. Through the gap came a small group of people. Both Alec and Mac bristled on either side of her. Alec shifted uneasily, obviously feeling the absence of his gun and regretting leaving it in the van. As they came closer, Darcy could make out three men, varying in ages, the oldest, wearing a smart grey suit looked to be in his fifties and the youngest was around her age, with an unruly mop of brown hair.
The other three were female: two looked as if they were sisters, though their body shapes were different, one being softly curved while the other was skeleton thin, however, they had similar facial features and their brown hair was exactly the same shade. The group stopped several feet away, keeping a safe distance as they surveyed the newcomers in what was obviously their territory. For long moments nobody spoke and she got the sense that no one really knew what they were doing. Opening her mouth to issue a greeting, Darcy was cut off by one of the other women.
“Who are you?” The thin, sharp faced woman demanded, “What are you doing here? You think you can just barge in and...”
“Enough, Kate,” the woman at her side laid a hand on her arm, “give them a chance to say something before you jump down their throats.” Kate’s eyes narrowed on them, her pinched mouth pressing into a thin line as she crossed her arms over her chest. Shifting closer to Alec, Darcy hesitated to speak, suddenly nervous. Curling his arm around her shoulders reassuringly, Alec tucked her into his side and six pairs of eyes followed the movement, looking between her and Alec. Almost able to taste their judgement and suspicion, Darcy looped both arms around his waist and leant against him, lifting her chin in a gesture which dared them to make something of it.
Having introduced themselves, leaving Hope and Callie out of it for the time being, they waited for the other group to do the same, the heavy silence prompting them on when they hesitated. Finally, the older man stepped forward.
Introducing himself as David Shard, he pointed to a house at the top of the road, “Myself and my wife, Joanne,” he gestured to the sophisticated blonde at his side, “her son Rory,” he waved negligently towards the gangly teenager, “and our daughters live there. Opposite to this house, the house with the blue door, is Edward and Lydia’s.” The young, soft faced gentleman gave them an awkward wave.
“This house,” David continued, “is where Poppy has been staying with Amber and Oscar. Next door is Mr Johnson’s. Kate, her sister and Rebecca’s son live in the house next door to the one you’re...”
“Squatting in,” Kate butted in snidely, but everyone ignored her as all eyes turned unerringly towards the place. As they were gazing over the brick wall dividing the properties at the shuttered windows, Darcy looked between Mac and Alec; the group had trusted them with the whereabouts of their vulnerable children, it seemed only fair that they inform them of the existence of Callie and Hope, since they would discover it soon enough. The news appeared to put the group slightly more at ease when it was told and Kate was the only one to protest verbally when the door behind them creaked open. Twisting around, Darcy saw the young girl, Poppy, stepping out onto the porch. Behind her the small, blonde haired, blue eyes little girl, Amber, lingered shyly in the gap.
It was getting dark by the time that they returned to the house several doors down. Reaching the gate, Alec rolled down the window and leant out to punch the code into the security pad – it had been given to them by David, whom Mr Colewell had asked to water his plants while he and his family were on holiday. Waiting until it whirred open, they drove inside and watched in the mirrors until the gate clicked shut once more before driving right up to the front door. A moment later, Hope and Callie came out to greet them, with Lucy streaking out of the house to circle the van and get under their feet as they jumped out.
“What took you so long?” Callie demanded.
Darcy bounced on the balls of her feet, her excitement instantly renewed, “You will never believe what just happened.”
Both Callie and her sister were just as excited as she had been to hear about their neighbours and were eager to meet them, but the next day when they walked down the street and pressed the intercom on the gate their welcome wasn’t exactly warm. In fact, Poppy didn’t even answer, nor did Mr Johnson. David’s wife Joanne politely informed them that the family was busy, though with what Darcy couldn’t imagine; it wasn’t like the children had school, or their parents work. Kate wasn’t quite so tactful when she answered her homes intercom.
“What do you want?” The woman snapped, her voice crackling over the speaker.
“We just wondered if we could talk?” Darcy swallowed as she glanced up into the camera pointed their way; this woman made her intensely nervous, as if she would bite her head off at the least provocation.
“No. Go away.” And she hung up.
Callie raised her brows. “I don’t think our new neighbours like us.”
As a result of their earlier rejections they weren’t particularly hopeful as they rang on the last gate. “Hello?” A male voice answered uncertainly.
“Hi, would you mind if we came in and talked to you?”
“Er...” he hesitated, clearly floundering, “well...”
“Please, just for a few minutes, we’d love to meet you and your wife, we’re really glad to see other people after all this time.”
“Oh, let them in, Eddie.” A soft, sweet voice could now be heard, “I’d like to meet them, too.”
“David won’t like it,” Edward’s weary sigh could be heard faintly over the metallic clicks of the gate as it opened. Darcy and Alec glanced at one another.
A slender young woman with flame red hair, a pale complexion and a friendly, open face met them at the door with a beaming smile. Stepping forward, she pulled them each into an enthusiastic, unexpected embrace, saying sincerely, “It’s so nice to meet you. I would have come out to see you yesterday but I’ve had a terrible stomach bug.”
“It’s nice to meet you too. Lydia, isn’t it?” Darcy smiled back, returning the hug, as she saw Alec nod his head at Edward who could be seen over his wife’s shoulder, lingering in the doorway.
“Yes,” the other woman’s smile broadened if possible, “and you must be...” she squinted at her, lips thinning thoughtfully, “Darcy, Alec... Callie?” She waited for a nod of agreement, before looking at Hope, “and this is your sister, Hope. Am I right?”
“Perfect.”
“Wasn’t there someone else?” Lydia tilted her head enquiringly, glancing back at her husband, “Eddie told me there was an older gentleman with you.” Darcy barely contained her derisive snort of amusement at the description of Mac as a gentleman.
