“We’re all with you Holmes. That fact would never be in doubt in such a time of need,” said Cyril.
We were very fortunate that Cyril held the group together, for many other men would have had our necks for blowing their friend’s head off. Despite this, with Jacob’s body lifeless and still dripping blood beside us, our stomachs were unsettled and our nerves uneasy.
“Help, help, somebody, I need a doctor!” A woman’s voice cried.
The sound was coming from the opposite end of the carriage we inhabited, and it was the accent of an English woman. We had thought the train carried no passengers other than ourselves. I rushed out of the compartment to the corridor to see the well dressed woman in a lot of distress. She immediately clapped eyes on me and rushed towards me. I took a few paces forwards to avoid her seeing the blood stained area I had come from.
“What is it?” I asked.
“Are you a doctor?”
“I am.”
“It is my husband, please come quickly.”
Not ever leaving anyone in need I quickly followed the women to thenext carriage. She led me into a compartment where she and her husband had been travelling. He was drowsy and weak, fever ridden I would have said. The man was fading and was murmuring, but no real words came out.
“When did this start?”
“Just a few hours ago, not long after someone tried to attack us,” she said.
“Explain to me exactly what happened.”
“Back in the town a man tried to attack us, my husband beat the man down with his cane, but of all things he bit him.”
Oh dear, this was not what I was hoping to find, though it did make me more glad that Holmes had kept watch while we slept. I stepped back away from the feverish man.
“What are you doing? Will you not help him?”
“I am sorry, but there is nothing I can do for your husband, and if you stay here you will succumb to the same condition,” I said.
“I am not leaving my husband! What kind of doctor are you that will not help the sick?”
The very notion of leaving someone to die was a horrible one, but I only risked myself staying any longer, and if I left the two, we would soon have potentially two beasts on board the train with us. I drew an Adams gun from beneath my jacket and pulled the hammer back.
“What are you doing?” the woman insisted.
“I am so sorry, but it is impossible to explain to you and have you understand the danger you are now in. In a matter of minutes or hours your husband will no longer be your husband, and be as wretched as the man who attempted to attack you,” I said.
“You’re wrong, and I will not let you harm my husband, you are not a doctor, get out of my sight!”
The woman pushed at me towards the door of the compartment, but she was quickly wrenched back towards her husband and I could only watch as his teeth drove into the side of her neck. It was too late, they were both now condemned, as we had all too recently discovered ourselves. I raised my Adams gun and fired a single shot to the unfortunate husband’s head, the shot ringing through the brain and exiting through the skull and window off into the distance. Blood splattered across the wife’s head and shoulder as her husband now slumped in his seat. The wife was crying in pain from the bite and in shock over the blood which now soaked her. I turned the gun towards her, but could not pull the trigger. I hesitated, knowing full well what had to be done, but being incapable of doing so. A shot rang out beside me, fracturing the woman’s skull, the blood barely showing on the already bloodied face and clothing as she collapsed back in the carriage. I looked to my side, where Holmes stood, Webley smoking slightly, ever the practical man, he had not hesitated. Now we could only hope that the train conductor did not make a pass of our two carriages, as we could not explain the evidence that he would find. The rest of the men lined the hallway behind Holmes, having followed when I had run off.
“This carriage is empty, let us take a new, clean compartment for the rest of the journey,” said Holmes.
We shuffled along the corridor and did exactly that, at least the clean carriage gave us some sense of normality, despite the horrors we had now partaken in and witnessed. We all sat down in the comfortable seats, though finding little comfort in them.
“This situation is clearly far worse than you first realised, and we have already lost one good man because of it, let us not make the same mistake again,” said Cyril.
“Indeed, the coming days will test us to the limits of our strength and character, we will and already have been forced to make the hardest decisions one can ever ask of a man, and there will be many more like them. We now know everything we need to about the beasts themselves, let that serve as a warning to you all. Any hesitation in killing a creature, or anyone who has been infected by one, will risk the lives of us all,” said Holmes.
“Indeed, take stock of Mr. Holmes’ words, for his methods may be stern, but his knowledge and actions true,” said Cyril.
The men went silent, all were in agreement, but their cold, hardened faces were testament to both the terrible things we had witnessed, but the cool resolve they were able to keep.
As the train trundled on, I could not help but be astonished that one man could be so unrelenting and evil, merely to pursue his own gain. Heaven knows how many thousands of people must be dying because of this outbreak, and all to save one crook from the cells, so that he could pursue political and financial gain. It is men like him that could well destroy the world we know.
CHAPTER SIX
It had been a long journey with only broken and uneasy sleep, but even the little relaxation we had was a luxury compared to the two days preceding it, especially knowing we had the safety of a group of capable and trustworthy gentlemen. My back now ached and I could feel the temperatures increasing for we were getting further south all the time and now in the heat of the afternoon. The speed of trains was a welcome asset, though their linear journeys meant the risk of what you might find at the next stop a daunting thought. Moriarty was clearly unsure of our location and was lashing out in many directions, hoping to ensnare us by sheer weight of numbers and by casting a wide net.
Finally, the station at Geneva was in sight, it was lunchtime and quite warm. Cyril and Egerton began to take off their jackets, an act that was only justified by the likelihood of impending violence and necessity for maximum physical performance and sustainability.
“Leave those on, gentleman,” said Holmes.
The great detective’s words seemed out of place and rather rude to men we now called friends.
“The sharingof bodily fluids through a bite was enough to turn Jacob from a friend and ally to another foul beast. Protection is a priority, and those jackets at least provide a light layer of protection, you do not want anything less.”
The two men, jackets half off, considered Holmes’ words carefully, before slowly pulling them back on. A wise choice, and something that should have occurred to me sooner, it was only a shame we did not have armour such as the soldiers of past history.
“Let us eat before we die of hunger!” Egerton said.
He was right, having the appropriate allies and weapons was important, but without our strength we were useless, a fact Holmes would both know and be keen to remedy. The men nodded and grunted in agreement, rightly so, Holmes and I hadn’t eaten in a long time, more than was sensible. Strolling out of the station, we found the nearest eating establishment, a welcoming bar with just a few people sat drinking tea.