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“Hey,” Harry smiled back, “how you two holding up?”
“It’s starting to feel a bit like that film, Alive,” said Jerry.
Harry raised both eyebrows.
Jerry sighed. “You know…that movie where the plane crashes? The one where they’re all freezing to death, one by one? They all start to eat the dead bodies to stay alive?”
Harry shrugged his shoulders. “Sorry.”
Jerry’s own shoulders deflated. “Goddamn it, dude.”
Jess spoke. “We want out of here, Harry.”
Harry hadn’t expected that. Sure it was an obvious thing to say, given the circumstances, but Jess was an upbeat person and didn’t seem like the kind to complain. “I know you do,” he said, “but that’s not possible right now. You know what it’s like out there. It’s not safe.”
Jess nodded. “That’s what I mean. It’s not safe here either. The snow is getting deeper and deeper, and there’s something out there that wants us dead. We weren’t lying earlier; there’s something really out there.”
Harry pictured the flames outside, growing from the snow like shimmering beanstalks, and felt a knot form in his stomach. Then he thought about the thing pretending to be his son. “I know, I believe you.” he admitted. “So why on earth do you want to go out there?”
“Because here we’re nothing but sitting ducks. I’d rather take my chances ru
“No one is going to die,” Harry state firmly, “but I agree that we may not be safe in here either.”
Jerry’s face lit up. The cold air, mixed with the licking heat of the fire, made his cheeks blush like cherries. “So, you’ll help us then?”
“No,” Harry said quickly. “If we go out there we’ll be frozen stiff in a matter of minutes or the victims of something even worse. It would be insane to leave here before morning. Even then I’m not so sure. I agree we’re in danger here, but I think we would be even worse off out there.”
Jess seemed close to tears; possibly even full blown panic. She looked at Harry pleadingly. “So what do you suggest? That we wait here until someone else comes flying through the window or Damien tries to rape someone else?”
Harry felt his face pull back in a snarl. “Damien won’t be hurting anyone else, don’t you worry about that.”
Jess shrugged as if his assertion meant nothing. “Okay,” she said, “but like I said, there’s something out there that’s less than friendly. You really just expect us to wait here till it tries to get in?”
“No,” said Harry. “We prepare, and if whatever is out there tries to get in…”
Jess and Jerry both looked at him. “Yeah?”
Harry snarled. “We make it wish it hadn’t.”
Chapter Twenty-FIVE
Jess decided Harry was crazy. He had to be. Why else would he suggest bunkering down in the pub and waiting for whatever was outside to get in? He didn’t understand the situation, and perhaps that made sense. Harry hadn’t seen what she and Jerry had seen, hadn’t seen Ben’s young body disintegrate into a billion bloody granules of sand. No one else understood that there was a seven-foot psychopath out there with a film prop from Braveheart.
Jesus, I sound like Jerry. Either way, if I ever see another sword again in my life it will be too soon.
Once Harry was far enough away, Jess turned to Jerry and said, “Are we really going to stay here?”
“You mean batten down the hatches like the kid from Home Alone? That dude under the hood is a demon or a vampire or…something, and if we try to duke it out we’ll end up like Ben for sure.” Jerry ran both hands through his messy hair and sighed. “But what choice do we have?”
It was the first time Jerry had mentioned Ben without welling up. Jess wondered if he was turning an emotional corner. “Maybe Harry’s right,” she admitted, “that we’ll freeze to death out there as soon as we leave, but it isn’t much warmer in here. I just…I don’t like feeling trapped, you know?”
“Me neither.”
“So what do we do?”
Jerry shrugged. “Arnie-up, I guess. Get some weapons and take it to the first thing that comes through the door, From Dusk till Dawn styley.”
“Whatever happens, I don’t think they’ll be using the door.” Jess looked down at Peter who was still sleeping on the sofa. He seemed more peaceful now than before and she wasn’t sure if that was a good or bad thing. “I think windows are more their style.”
Jerry laughed. “No shit.”
“Well,” Jess put her hands on her hips, “should we get started?”
Jerry nodded and rose up from his knees. Immediately he let out a shudder. “I think before we do anything we need to refuel the fire. I’m freezing, and I think Peter’s turning blue.”
Jess looked down at Peter once more and saw the blue tint at the edge of his lips like a thin line of biro. She started to think that his peacefulness was indeed a bad sign. “I’ll go and check with Harry,” she said. “They’re building a fire downstairs anyway.”
She rose up from her knees and patted Peter on the forehead. His skin was cold.
Over at the other end of the pub, Harry was standing with Lucas who’d come from downstairs to help watch over an unconscious Damien. Jess couldn’t believe what Damien had tried to do to Steph. She knew he was a jerk, but…
I du
“Harry,” she said, approaching him by the bar. “The fire is struggling and we need something to burn.”
Harry nodded and rubbed at his chin. The stubble there made his face seem dirty. “Yeah, I know,” he said. “We’ll get it going again soon with some of the chairs Nigel broke up. I forgot to say earlier that I think I’ll have to leave Damien over there with you and Jerry. The only other option is to put him in the cellar, but with Steph…”
Jess waved a hand. “That’s fine, I understand. We’ll keep an eye on him.”
Harry stared into her eyes. “You sure you’ll be ok?”
“Yeah, course. If he tries anything I’ll whack him with the fire poker or ring the bell. You tied him pretty tight by the looks of things anyway.”
Harry looked down at Damien’s swollen wrists bound behind his back and saw that he had indeed done a good job. “I knew the Boy Scouts would come in handy one day.”
Jess laughed. “I knew there was something outdoorsy about you?”
“No,” said Harry. “That’s just the smell.”
Jess laughed again, this time louder. “You’re in a cheery mood despite everything.”
Harry seemed to stare into space for a moment before making eye contact with her again. “Guess I decided it was time to start taking part.”
Jess didn’t know what he meant. There were a lot of things she didn’t understand tonight. “Taking part in what?” she asked him.
Harry smiled. “Life, I guess. Now, let’s go find you something for that fire.”
“Sounds like a plan.” She took Harry’s free arm as he grabbed a candle from the bar. Lucas nodded to them both as they passed, letting them know he was happy to stay behind and supervise Damien. As the two of them sauntered towards the bar, Jess felt a surreal feeling of safety that made her wonder if she was in some sort of denial about the fear she’d felt only minutes before. It was peculiar, but Harry’s lightened mood made her feel that things might just work out okay.
Jess blinked twice and refocused her mind. Her skin felt tight under the prolonged attack of the cold and the chill felt like razor wire pulled tight around her flesh. She couldn’t wait to get in front of a renewed fire and would get as much paper and firewood as possible before settling in for the night.
Maybe grab a little nap then if Jerry doesn’t mind watching over me.