Chapter 4
The next morning Brendan is walking to the barn but stops dead in his tracks as he comes around to the front of it. All the around the entrance to the barn sit the cats and dogs along with many different birds. They are all just sitting there not interacting with each other. Like they are waiting for something. He slowly walks towards them but none of them scatter. Before he can enter the barn Jim comes up to him and says, “Brendan I think we have some trouble.”
“What’s the matter?”
Jim motions for Brendan to follow him, “Come on we and the others better speak privately.”
Brendan sighs and follows Jim.
They enter a room together and Jim closes the door behind them. Inside the room are Tori, Tom, Ray and Bridget.
“Oh boy. What’s going on?”
Tori starts off, “The four strangers that walked up the other day have got to go.”
“Why? What did they do?”
“They are creeping us out”, comes Tori’s response to Brendan’s question.
“You haven’t noticed things have gotten bizarre and unsettled around here since they showed up?”, says Tom.
“What do you mean?”, asks Brendan.
“Well the ghost last night for one”, answers Tom.
“Come on ghosts aren’t real. And we found nothing when we searched. Who knows what you and Kristen saw.”
“Maybe they were seeing things but others saw it too and are freaked. And when I was searching by the creek look what I found”, says Ray taking out a long knife.
Brendan examines the knife, “How did one of our knives get all the way out there?”
“I’m betting Bill had it with him before whatever happened to him happened”, says Ray.
“You find anything else?”, asks Brendan.
“Nothing not a trace of him.”
Brendan then says, “Maybe some animal carried him off. Who knows. I am sorry but if he was out in the woods with one of our knives without us knowing about it he was probably up to trouble. Sorry but I say good riddance.”
“I agree with you”, says Ray, “and if it was only Bill missing I would let it go maybe but his disappearance along with all the other stuff has people starting to get concerned and agitated. Including me. What if one of us is the next to go missing because of these strangers.”
“What other stuff?”
“Well for one I saw Ashley levitating off the ground yesterday evening”, says Bridget.
“Your eyes must have been playing tricks on you”, says Brendan.
“I know what I saw and I asked around and I’m not the only one who has seen that. And Mike swears he saw a Cobra lunge at him. He refuses to walk in the grass.”
“I may have been the only one to see Alex’s hand go in that fire and come out fine but lots of people saw Megan get trampled by Jezebel and walk it off.”
“And did you see Lindsey just sitting last night with the horses in the middle of the pasture”, says Tori.
“No crime against that”, says Brendan thinking his trusted friends are all becoming a little too superstitious.
“There was something off about it”, adds Jim. “I know you saw that weirdness at the barn with the animals too. Between that and what that young lady was doing with the horses last night people have worked themselves into quite the lather.”
“Look”, says Tom, “You know I got your back no matter what. We go way back. But bottom line is people are getting freaked out and working themselves up into a frenzy.” “Gossip makes things get away from you real quick and you know how on edge everyone is already with the zombies”, Jim adds.
Tom continues, “Maybe we are all being silly. Maybe it is all nonsense but if you don’t do something the others might do something irrational or even worse lose faith in you.”
“My personal feelings aside, he is right”, says Tori.
Bridget adds, “When we started this community we gave up the luxury of doing what we want to do.”
Ray says, “I don’t want to send them out anymore than you but if we don’t we could lose everything and that’s not going to help anyone.”
Brendan sighs and looks down and says, “You are all right. I did tell them it was a trial run. If they are sowing discord, even unintentionally, we can’t allow that. I will take care of it.”
Tori puts her hand affectionately on Brendan’s, “I know you have a good heart but it’s the right move.”
Brendan nods, “I will tell them to leave now.”
“You thinking they will go peacefully on their way”, asks Jim.
“Yea maybe we should get some weapons and come with you”, says Tom.
“I still believe they are good people and deserve respect.”, says Brendan. “I will talk to them myself so they don’t feel threatened or like they are being run out of town with pitchforks and torches like Frankenstein’s monster.”
Tom seems hesitant but says, “Ok, if that’s the way you want it.”
As Brendan turns to leave he gives a startled jump upon seeing Dixie sitting in front of the door staring at him. “What the hell is their dog doing here!?!”
“See this is what I am talking about! I swear that dog wasn’t in here when you came in!”, cries Tori. “How did he just appear in here?!”
Dixie and Brendan stare at each other in silence for another moment. Brendan then turns back to the others, “Just in case all of you are right and I’m wrong be on the ready but do it discreetly. And if I’m not back in twenty minutes assume its not going well.” He then turns back and opens the door to the room and starts yelling at Dixie to go on and find his master. Dixie runs off and Brendan leaves to do the grim task at hand.
Brendan approaches the barn carefully stepping amongst the animals. He knocks on the door. Alex’s voice comes from inside the barn, “Come in.”
Brendan enters and sees the four strangers seated on the ground in a circle along with Dixie. Megan says, “We weren’t sure whether to wait here for someone to get us for chores or whether to find you.”
“Yea about that”, starts Brendan uneasily, “Look there have been some weird things going on, and well it was poor timing I am sure but a lot of people have been attributing it to the arrival of you four. Just the way it is. They are working themselves up into quite a fever so I think it will be best for everyone if you went elsewhere. If you catch my drift.”
“Ok”, says Alex.
“Look I am sorry with everything and how it went down. With everything people have seen they have lost their humanity. No compassion anymore just fear”, says Brendan.
“Really we understand”, says Megan. “Things work out how they work out. You said yourself us staying here was a trial run.”
“Well thank you for understanding. I knew you were good people. We did a perimeter sweep this morning and didn’t see any sign of zombies so you should be ok for at least a little while out there.” Brendan hands them a handkerchief tied in a bundle with a knot and two knives, “Here all four of you put in an honest days work so you shouldn’t leave empty handed.” Brendan nods to the handkerchief bundle, “Dried figs.”
“That’s really nice of you”, says Lindsey.
“I try to do right by people who done right by me.”
Alex hands back the knives and the bundle to Brendan, “We good though. You keep them. No hard feelings or worries. We will be fine.” The four strangers begin to walk out of the barn with their dog.
As they leave Ashley turns back to Brendan and says, “Best of luck to you.” Brendan looks down at his returned gifts confused. He then goes outside and watches the strangers walk away and disappear over the hill from where they came.
Brendan returns to the room where Tom and the others are waiting with guns. “Well?”, asks Tom.
“They went peacefully but I don’t know a little too peacefully maybe. Something just felt off. Let’s have double guards on for the next few days and Bridget make sure all our vehicles are ready to go.” Brendan turns to leave at the room and says, “Just to be safe.”
No comments:
Post a Comment