A Block of Broken Houses

The Search, a Saviour (Part Four)

They heard the distant gunshot.

Well off the main street and behind a jagged outcrop of rock stood an abandoned outbuilding, its structure dilapidated but still habitable. Within it, two horses grazed lazily on the small heap of hay at their feet. Above them, hidden in the dark of the long-ago makeshift loft, were Penelope and Anna, along with the dead man's wife and son, who held each other tightly. The woman wept for her husband, and the boy did the same for his father.

Here they all waited. They held their breath until the sun went down, and then they held it a little longer, through the evening, the darkness, and the following day. The worst was the waiting, not knowing if he had left town in search of them or had set a trap, watching. Eventually, once the sun had set completely, they quietly left the safety of the shed. They dared not stop to replenish their provisions here, but would instead flee quickly and pray they came upon someplace soon.

They moved on, heading west, all of them, including horses and beaten trailer. The plan was to retreat to Grimsby, or perhaps as far as Ashbridge, and then cut south through the hills, the desert. They would attempt to find and settle somewhere together, knowing always that he was behind them, following, knowing they could not escape him for good. But they decided that was okay, because all they needed was to survive a little longer. None of them had taken the sickness, but it would take them eventually. In the end, the sickness took everyone, the evil and the kind alike. While they were free of it, they would also live free of him.

END