Chapter Three
David hadn’t even had a chance to react to the scream when there was a crash as the seat he had just vacated flew forwards, Kathryn and Amy piling out of the car.
‘What was that?’ she demanded as David scanned the moors with the torch.
‘I don’t know,’ David said quietly as he shone the torch in the direction that the scream had come from. ‘I thought I saw someone out here.’
‘Edward?’ Amy screamed, moving round the car before either of them could stop her. Before David or Kathryn could go after her there was another scream.
‘Amy!’ he tried to shout after her as she took off in the direction of the scream. ‘Wait in the car.’
It only took a couple seconds to realise that Kathryn had ignored him when he heard her splashing through the puddles as she tried to catch up with him.
With the light from the torch wobbling side to side as David and Kathryn jogged on to the moor they caught brief glimpses of Amy ahead of them. All of a sudden there was a scream and a squawk as she disappeared from view.
‘Amy?’ they both shouted as David shone his torch around, trying to see where she had gone.
‘I’m okay,’ Amy’s voice called out of the darkness.
Changing course slightly, the two of them hurried across the uneven terrain as quickly as they could. When they finally caught sight of her again she was sitting on the floor, her hands holding her right ankle. Perplexed momentarily, David cast the light around, spotting a narrow chunk of rock that was sticking about a foot out of the ground covered in moss.
‘What happened?’ Kathryn asked as she crouched down next to Amy.
‘I tripped on a rock,’ she said bitterly as she rolled up her torn trouser leg to reveal a nasty gash on her shin. In seconds the heavy rain had diluted the blood that was running down her leg.
‘Are you alright?’
‘I think so,’ she muttered as Kathryn helped her up.
‘Are you sure it was a rock? I can’t see anything apart from this one and it wasn’t in your path,’ David asked as he looked around at the ground. When he couldn’t find anything he looked up at Amy who was leaning against Kathryn.
‘I don’t know,’ she replied. ‘It all happened so quickly. All I know is that it was solid.’
‘The only thing around here is this,’ David said, pointing the light in the direction of the rock.
‘Is that something written on it?’ Kathryn asked, pointing at a shape that had been carved in to the stone.
Crouching down beside it, David ran a hand across it, brushing at the soaked moss on the rock. Kathryn was right, there was something carved in to the stone. ‘Lavern Danner?’ he said slowly.
‘Wait, is that a gravestone?’ Kathryn asked as she looked at it over his shoulder.
Pushing more of the moss away, David examined the stone. Beneath the name that had been carved in to the rock were two numbers. ‘If it is then he’s been dead since 1796.’
‘I didn’t know there was anyone buried out on the moors,’ Amy said as she tried placing her foot on the ground gingerly.
‘I wouldn’t know, you’re the one who was looking into everything the other day,’ Kathryn said as she watched Amy stand uncomfortably.
‘Are you alright to walk?’ David asked, shining the light on Amy’s leg for a better look. He could just about make out the cut through the rip in her trouser leg.
‘I think so,’ she replied, taking a couple of steps to see.
‘Kathryn, can you help her back to the car?’ David asked. ‘I’ll find Edward, hopefully he’s managed to get some signal.’
‘No way. We aren’t splitting up,’ Kathryn said adamantly.
‘Why don’t you listen to me for once Kathryn?’ David sighed in frustration.
‘You’ve already seen what happened to Amy when she went off on her own!’ she snapped back. ‘What do you think I’m going to do if something happens to you and you don’t come back?’
‘Fine,’ David snapped back, not bothering to mention the fact that he had a torch and she didn’t. ‘Let’s go.’
Turning his back on Kathryn he set off again, trying to remember the direction they had been heading in. Maybe it would be better if they were here, he didn’t really fancy wandering the pitch black moors on his own. Especially not since they had found that gravestone. There was something weird about it being there.
‘There,’ Kathryn said suddenly, interrupting his train of thought. Turning to see where she was pointing he spotted a faint light nearby.
Nodding, he changed direction as he tried to shine the torch at the light. Through the rain he thought he could make out someone in the darkness. Whoever it was they hadn’t spotted the three of them yet. Fighting back the temptation to call out for Edward, David started in the person’s direction. If it was Edward he might still be on the phone.
‘Something doesn’t feel right,’ Kathryn said quietly beside him. He had to agree with her. How had Edward not noticed the light dancing around him as they walked towards him? All the time that they had been walking the light Kathryn had spotted hadn’t moved.
As they approached David realised that it was a piece of metal. It was lying on the floor beside a large dark puddle. That explained why it hadn’t moved. What it didn’t explain was where Edward was.
Picking up the piece of metal he examined it. It was a watch, a watch that looked a lot like the one Edward always wore. Without a word he slipped the watch into his coat pocket.
‘Where’s Edward?’ Amy asked as she looked around.
‘He can’t be far,’ David said confidently as he moved forwards, scanning the moors for Edward. Perhaps he had tripped on something like Amy had. Lowering the torch as the thought crossed his mind he saw something move out of the corner of his eye. ‘Edward?’
At the sound of his voice whatever had moved froze. Slowly it turned as the beam of light from his torch fell on it. It looked like a creature of some sort. In the darkness he saw its eyes flash.
‘What is it?’ Kathryn asked quietly.
‘I don’t know,’ David replied as he moved closer for a better look. It was probably a cow that had wandered off from its herd.
‘David what is it?’ Kathryn asked.
Before he could reply there was a low growl.
Looking up he found the creature that he had seen standing several feet in front of him. In the torchlight it was definitely not a cow. It seemed to be some sort of huge dog, its piercing red eyes flashing dangerously in the light.
‘Get to the car,’ David said quietly as he backed away slowly.
‘What?’ Kathryn asked in confusion.
‘Go!’ David shouted as he turned, pushing her ahead of him. As they stumbled forwards the creature let out another growl.
Grabbing hold of Amy’s arm he forced her around, pulling her along with them as the creature let out a loud roar that echoed across the moor. Glancing over his shoulder he saw it bounding after them. Ahead of him he could see Kathryn running as fast as the terrain would allow her.
‘Come on,’ David said encouragingly as he felt Amy slowing down. The creature was almost upon them.
‘I can’t,’ she breathed heavily. ‘My ankle-’ she started, breaking off into a scream as the creature leapt between them, knocking them both flying in opposite directions.
Crashing to the ground he managed to keep hold of the torch. Rolling over, he saw that the creature had clamped its jaws around her bad leg. As it dragged her away from him the sound of her leg breaking echoed across the moor, mingling with her screams. Through the darkness he saw it stop a little way away, pouncing on top of her as she screamed again. As it began to tear at her chest he turned away, trying desperately not to listen to Amy’s screams.
When Amy’s screams finally stopped David looked up. In the darkness he could just about make out the outline of the creature through the rain. He had to get back to the car.
Scrambling to his feet he took off in what
he hoped was the right direction, the torch light bouncing across the moor in front of him as he ran.
Behind him he heard a loud growl. The creature that had attacked them must have spotted him. Without looking back he focused on the ground in front of him as he ran trying not to trip on anything.
It was a relief when he finally made it to the car park and the flat surface. Glancing over his shoulder he saw the creature bounding through the puddles. Grabbing the door handle he threw the car door open. Diving in, he scrambled to slam the door behind him. It was then that he noticed Kathryn slumped in the back seat breathing heavily.
‘Where’s Amy?’ she asked when she realised that he was alone.
Without replying David leant across the passenger seat, slamming the other door shut. It seemed he was just in time as the creature crashed in to the side of the car with a bang.
‘Where’s Amy?’ Kathryn asked again more urgently.
‘It caught up with us,’ David said, breathing heavily as he watched the outline of the creature in the wing mirror as it disappeared round the back of the car. ‘It happened so fast, there wasn’t anything I could do.’
‘Edward?’
Silently he shook his head, producing Edward's watch from his pocket. ‘I think it might have gone,’ he said quietly as he turned to look at her.
‘What was it?’ she asked, trying to see out of the back window.
‘No idea,’ he replied. ‘It definitely isn’t very friendly though.’
‘What do we do now?’
‘I don’t know,’ he admitted. ‘Hopefully Edward managed to find some signal and call someone.’
‘And if he didn’t?’
Before he could reply there was a huge crash. Spinning round in his seat he saw the creature on the bonnet of the car, its hairy black face pressed up against the glass, a giant paw hitting the windscreen. It looked like some sort of cross between a dog and a bear. With a shout, David jumped back in his seat. Baring its teeth it hit the windscreen again, a small crack appearing in the glass.
As the crack began to spread David scrambled backwards, climbing awkwardly between the seats and in to the back of the car. Leaning over he shone the torch around the boot of the car, looking for anything that they could use to try and defend themselves from the creature.
Apart from a dusty old blanket and a couple of empty shopping bags the boot was empty. Sighing, he turned around again, slumping in to the seat beside Kathryn as the creature continued to pound on the window, the crack growing bigger with each passing second.
‘We aren’t getting out of this are we,’ she said quietly, her eyes fixed on the creature.
‘I don’t think so,’ he said gravely. There was no way that they would be able to get the doors open and get away. The creature would be on top of them before they had managed to make it to the road.
‘What about the window?’ she asked quickly as she looked behind her. ‘We could break it and climb out the back.’
‘Is there anything we could use to break it?’ he asked as he climbed over the back of the seats and in to the large boot.
Glancing around frantically, she grabbed Edward’s bag, rummaging through it desperately. ‘Only the torch,’ she replied as she upended the bag, an assortment of food wrappers and empty bottles from their hike falling out.
‘We need that if we get out of here,’ David said shaking his head as he looked around the boot, his eyes falling on the old blanket. ‘Hold on,’ he said as he grabbed the blanket, wrapping it round his leg. ‘Climb over here.’
‘What are you doing?’
‘I’m going to try and kick the window out,’ he explained as he handed the torch to her. ‘We need to get out of here as fast as possible when it breaks. You go first, I’ll need to untangle the blanket.’
‘Where do I go?’ she asked as she watched him lining up a kick at the back window.
‘Just run, I’ll catch up with you,’ he replied between kicks. Behind him he could hear the creature pounding furiously on the windscreen. With a powerful kick the glass around his foot fractured, a small hole appearing in it. Kicking quickly he started making the hole bigger, a mixture of broken glass and rain covering the old blanket.
With one last kick the best part of the window shattered, falling out the back of the car. ‘Go!’ he shouted as there was a crash behind him. The creature had finally managed to break through the glass. Pulling the blanket off as quickly as he could he watched Kathryn scramble out the window with the torch.
Throwing the blanket off, he scrambled after her, the broken glass tearing at the palms of his hands as he climbed out. ‘Go!’ he urged her when he saw her hesitating. Still she didn’t move.
Grabbing her by the arm he dragged her with him as he glanced over his shoulder. The creature had managed to extricate itself from the car and was now standing on the roof. With a growl it jumped down, bounding after them.
‘Run!’ David shouted as they ran out of the car park and on to the road, the creature gaining on them with every second. With a glance over his shoulder he saw that it had managed to get impossibly close to them all of a sudden. He could see it getting ready to pounce.
It was right behind them when out of nowhere there was a gunshot that echoed across the moors. Ducking, David pulled Kathryn low with him. He had no idea where the shot had come from or what the person might be aiming at. Looking up he saw the creature bounding away in to the darkness, scared off by the gunshot.
‘It’s gone,’ David breathed as he let go of Kathryn’s arm.
Slowly he stood up straight again, casting the torch around to try and see where the gunshot had come from. Walking up the road towards them was and old man, a rifle slung over his shoulder.
‘You two alright?’ he called, pushing a hand through his retreating grey hair.
‘I think so,’ David replied slowly as he felt Kathryn move slightly closer to him.
‘What are you doing out here in the dark,’ he asked gruffly as he stopped before them.
‘Our car broke down, we were trying to call for help when that thing attacked us and our friends,’ Kathryn said, regaining his voice. ‘How did you find us?’
‘I was in the kitchen when I saw your torch run past,’ he replied, gesturing to the small single storey house set back from the road. Glancing at it, David and Kathryn looked at each other in confusion. He was sure they hadn’t seen the house earlier in the day.
‘Do you have a phone we could use to call someone?’ David asked hopefully.
‘You won’t get anyone out here at this time,’ the man said. ‘You’re welcome to stay in the house if you want. Dare say it will be warmer than your car.’
‘Are you sure?’ David asked.
‘Sure, the moors are no place to spend the night,’ he said. ‘My names Lavern by the way.’
‘David. This is Kathryn,’ he replied, introducing themselves.
‘Let’s get out of this weather,’ Lavern said shaking David’s hand. ‘Come on.’
In silence Lavern led them a little way up the road before turning off on to an uneven rocky driveway. The rusty old iron gates squeaked as Lavern opened them, letting the two of them past him before shutting the gate again.
‘How long have you lived out here?’ Kathryn asked as she looked up at the slightly rundown house.
‘A long time,’ Lavern replied without giving them an actual time. He seemed more than happy to walk in silence as they headed for the house.
Pulling a large ring of keys from his pocket he leant the rifle against the doorframe while he unlocked the door. When the door finally swung open again he picked up his rifle, stepping inside.
‘Come on, don’t let all the rain in,’ he barked as he beckoned them in, slamming the door behind them.
‘Thank you for letting us stay here,’ Kathryn said gratefully as they followed him through to the kitchen, parting the white beaded drape that hung over the doorway.
‘It’s no trouble, people get stuck
out here from time to time,’ Lavern replied as he picked up an old kettle that sat on the side, filling it with water. ‘Tea?’
‘Yes please,’ David and Kathryn said together. Both of them would surely be chilled to the bones when they got home. With a nod Lavern placed turned the kettle on as he picked up a skull shaped pot. Lifting the lid he pulled out three teabags.
‘You keep your teabags in a skull shaped jar?’ Kathryn asked as Lavern returned it to its place.
‘Sometimes you have to make use of what you have out on the moors,’ he explained as he pulled three mugs out of one of the cupboards.
Tossing a teabag into each of the mugs he picked up the kettle as it boiled, pouring the water into each mug. Turning away he crouched down, pulling a half full glass milk bottle from the tiny fridge. With a glance at them he added the milk when they both nodded.
‘You can stay in here,’ he said as he handed them each a mug of tea, leading them through a door at the other end of the room and in to a tiny lounge which had a battered old brown sofa in the centre. ‘I’ll let you two get yourselves sorted, I’ve got a lot of work to do.’
‘Thank you,’ Kathryn said gratefully as she sat down on the old sofa, coughing slightly as a plume of dust rose from it. With a nod Lavern disappeared out of the room. ‘At least it’s better than staying in the car.’
‘I’m sure I didn’t see this house earlier,’ David said as he sat down beside her.
‘I know, me too,’ she replied, sipping at the tea she had cradled in her hands. ‘David, what happened to Edward and Amy out there?’
For several minutes he sat in silence, contemplating what to tell her as he sipped at his tea. ‘I don’t know,’ he sighed.
‘I’m sorry I didn’t listen to you,’ she said quietly as she put her empty mug on the table beside the sofa before leaning against him. ‘If I had listened to you I might have got Amy back to the car.’
‘You did what you thought was right,’ David replied slowly. ‘Perhaps if I had been quicker I could have stopped her from running off in the first place.
‘It’s not your fault,’ she replied softly as she took his hand in hers. ‘We should get some rest and we can try and piece all this together in the morning.’
Standing up he nodded as he slipped of his soaked coat. ‘That’s probably best,’ he agreed as he lay down on the floor beside the sofa. ‘We could both do with some sleep.’
Silently he wondered just how much sleep he was going to get as he watched Kathryn take off her coat and lay down on the dusty sofa. His damp clothes weren’t perfect for sleeping in but they would have to do, he thought as she looked down at him from the sofa.