“Where’s the nearest police station?” said Frank.
“Horsham, probably,” said Ralph.
“Typical.”
Rows of houses. Trimmed lawns. Expensive cars parked in gravel driveways. Trees and pruned hedges. Rows of flowers in bloom.
A deserted place. But things had been left behind.
A dropped handbag on a driveway, its contents spilled; a bicycle left by the side of the road, its front wheel spinning slowly; a child’s red baseball cap.
They passed one house with its front door open; Ralph noticed shadowy shapes huddled just out of focus. He didn’t tell the others just in case he had imagined them.
Joel said, “Something is very wrong.”
Ralph grunted. “Nice one, Miss Marple.”
The bells stopped ringing. Throbbing silence. Ralph’s eardrums resonated in the sudden absence of sound. The anticipation of bad things. A feeling of dread. He swallowed hard.
A shriek echoed down the street and around the houses.
Magnus’s eyes widened. “Jesus Christ, what was that?”
“I don’t know,” said Frank. “Maybe a dog? We better keep moving.”
They continued to the centre of the village. Ralph and Frank entered the village shop. No staff or customers greeted them. Tins of food had been stacked neatly on shelves. No signs of catastrophe or trouble. As if everyone had winked out of existence.
Frank grabbed some bottles of water and a few chocolate bars; handed them out to the others while they checked their phones for signal. The screen on Ralph’s mobile was blank. He put it back in his pocket and turned to his friends, noting how their faces were too pale, too tight around their skulls. He ate his chocolate bar in two bites.
Frank stared down the street; Joel sipped water and glanced behind them as if expecting an attack; Magnus was absently rubbing his mouth like he was trying to wipe away the crumbs of his last meal. Spit came away with his fingers. A muscle moved just below his right eye.
Ralph slapped the palm of one hand with the crowbar.
“What the fuck is going on?”
They heard the shriek again. It was louder.
“That ain’t a fucking dog,” said Ralph.
“I don’t feel well,” said Magnus. His eyes were moving quickly, glancing around. He swayed on his feet and Joel took hold of him by the shoulders. His face shined with sweat.
“You okay, mate?”
“Not really.” His eyelids drooped. “Feel dizzy and hot.”
Joel touched Magnus’s forehead. “He’s burning up.”
“We keep walking,” said Frank.
“Where to?” asked Joel.
“Maybe the church, if whoever was ringing the bells is still there.”
“Fair enough.”
Magnus exhaled through his teeth. He held onto Joel.
The four men moved on. They kept to the middle of the road. Ralph held the crowbar like he was craving violence, spoiling for a fight.
The sky was turning darker. Grey becoming charcoal. Low clouds, their undersides painted with shadow. There was a deep, short rumble far away in the sky. Frank thought about thunder and how it should sound. Not like that.
They reached the end of a T-junction. Half a dozen cars were parked along the side of the road. Frank led them onto Carpenter Street. This road would lead them out of the village, eventually.
“What’s that sound?” said Ralph. He raised the crowbar.
They rounded a corner. A young woman was lying on her stomach, trying to raise herself up with her arms. She was wearing a jumper and jeans. White trainers. She made a horrible noise, as if her stomach was trying to climb up her throat. Her eyes bulged and she was crying, her shoulders hitching with each sob.
When the woman sensed them, her neck turned slowly.
“Christ on a fucking bike!” Ralph said.
“Oh shit.” Joel forgot to keep hold of Magnus; he folded at the knees. Joel grabbed him again and held him up.
Frank took a step towards the woman. He held out his hands. “Are you okay?”
The woman looked at him.
“We’re not going to hurt you,” Frank said, keeping his voice low and steady.
“What’s that on her neck?” said Ralph, pointing.
Frank saw, about two inches below the woman’s left ear, a puncture mark weeping a clear fluid. The skin around the hole was red and sore.
“Looks like a wasp sting,” said Frank.
“It would have to be a big fucking wasp.”
“There’re no such things as giant wasps,” said Joel. He didn’t sound convinced.
“Help me,” the woman said. She held out one hand to them.
Frank couldn’t take his eyes from the woman. He took a step towards her.
“What’s wrong with her?” said Joel.
“Fuck knows,” Ralph said.
“Help me,” the woman muttered. She turned onto her back, breathing hard. Her face was vaguely child-like in the dirty light.
“Do you think she has something contagious?” Ralph asked.
The men backed away from her.
“What happened to you?” said Frank.
She didn’t answer.
“Let’s get out of here,” Ralph said.
“We can’t just leave her,” said Frank.
Magnus let out a moan.
Ralph looked at Frank. “Can’t we? We’ve got our own problems. I’m not touching her.”
“So compassionate, as always.”
“Ralph’s right,” said Joel. “What if she is contagious?”
“She needs help,” said Frank.
“We all need help.” Ralph let out a humourless laugh.
Frank glared at him.
Ralph shook his head. “If you want to help her, mate, be my guest.”
Frank looked at the woman. The wound on her neck had become redder and swollen. Frank thought that if he touched the mark, it would feel spongy and moist. He shuddered with revulsion.
“Go on then, Frank,” said Ralph. “You want to be a Good Samaritan. Stay here and help her.”
“Let’s go,” said Joel. “We can get help for her and come back.”
Magnus drifted lazily on his feet, dazed. Joel and Ralph were struggling to keep him upright and stable.
“What happened to you?” Frank asked the woman.
She stared at Frank. She tried to speak but her words dissolved into murmurs and sobs.
The terrible shriek echoed towards them again. It didn’t sound human. More like an animal sound, but not one any of them knew.
“What the hell is making that noise?” said Joel. He was looking back the way they had walked. He was saucer-eyed. He chewed on his bottom lip.
Ralph said, “We need to get some help for Magnus first before we help this woman. We’ll find some help and come back for her.”
Frank didn’t believe Ralph, but he nodded. “Okay.”
“Good idea,” said Joel. “Let’s go.”
Frank hesitated. He didn’t want to leave the woman here. For some reason he felt responsible for her. He didn’t know why. If he left the woman here, she would die. She would die alone.
“C’mon, Frank,” Ralph said. “She’s not our problem.”
Magnus was staring at the woman. His nose was bleeding.
Joel pulled a tissue from his pocket. He wiped Magnus’s nose with it, then held it there.
“You look like shit, Magnus,” said Ralph.
“I’m okay,” said Magnus. His voice was slurred. He took the tissue from Joel’s hand and held it under his nose. “I’m fine.”
Behind them, another shriek rang out. Closer. Much closer.
“Fuck this,” Ralph said. He pulled Frank with him as he and Joel helped Magnus along.
Frank glanced back at the woman. Ralph was swearing under his breath.
“Please don’t leave me,” the woman said. Desperation in her voice. “Don’t leave me here.”
Frank kept walking. He looked away.
From beyond the street, another shriek rang out.